Sometimes, it is easy to romanticize Christmas. After all, there are so many experiences during this time of the year that help us relish the joy of Christmas. There are the many fragrances of Christmas in the pine cones, the smell of the tree, and the wonderful fragrances of baked Christmas cookies. There is the joy of singing in Christmas concerts and in caroling. There is the joy of decorating our homes with red poinsettia plants and white twinkly lights. There is the joy of being together with our brothers and sisters who come home from college, and with friends coming from all over the country to visit and be together. All of these joys truly are part of the Christmas blessing.

As Christians, we also celebrate other joys of Christmas: the joy of coming together as a liturgical community, the joy of sharing a Eucharistic meal, the joy of innocence and children, the joy of hope-filled Scripture readings, and the joy of giving and sharing with others.

In these acts, we celebrate the realization that our joys are not complete when others suffer, if others are alone, or if others are feeling hunger or hurt. The season expresses our longing for God’s kingdom to come, and our hope that Jesus really is coming into the world again, over and over, and in always new ways. What a wonderful joy to celebrate!

I hope that each readersof this blog finds some time during the season of Christmas to discover the gift of Jesus’ coming into your life again and again, over and over, and in ever-new ways.

Have a joy-filled Christmas!