The Stages of Christmas Understanding.

Stage 1: The child who loves Christmas because they get gifts.

Stage 2: The young adult who grows up and sees Christmas as not that special. As they can buy what they want, anyway.

Stage 3: The parent or aunty or uncle, who relives the joy of Christmas by lavishing gifts on the children they love.

Stage 4: Recognizing that the real gift is Christmas itself, because of the blessing it brings to society. Especially the message of the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, the king that was born in Bethlehem.

Christmas takes on a far deeper meaning when you really take to heart what a gift it is, in and of itself. The gathering to celebrate what the Lord has done. The down time from the work schedule. The feasting, the celebrating, and the contemplating of the year. When the joy of the gift of Christmas settles in your heart, the old school Christmas carols take on a new and deeper meaning each year. O Holy Night, Joy to the World, and others, really begin to speak to the soul.

I hope you have a merry and blessed Christmas with your family, friends and church fellowship. God bless.