As I write this column, soon another Thanksgiving will be a memory and we will launch into the Christmas season (although, by the looks of the mall the other night, many people have already done that!). I think Nordstrom is the only department store that waits until after Thanksgiving to deck their halls and put up all the Christmas decorations. It’s kind of refreshing but the cynical part of me just assumes that it’s a marketing ploy!

Have you started your shopping yet? I’ve started to make a list but I haven’t braved the stores yet or gone on-line to make my purchases. But, I enjoy the privilege of giving and I especially look forward to it as our grandchildren get older and begin to appreciate the season more. We don’t want to spoil them; of course, but I’ve been told that that’s part of being a grandparent.

At any rate, it’s kind of a holy madness that overcomes us every year. We want to celebrate Christmas by bringing joy to others, and in so doing, discover the greatest joy of all…the happiness of giving.

Consider for a moment the joy of God on that first Christmas Eve. He had brought through the gates of birth, by the miracle of the Holy Spirit, the most wondrous gift of all time. And it was to all people everywhere in all ages. His gift of Jesus would bring healing to the sick, redemption to the sinning, new life to the dying, and “Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men.”

No wonder the angels sang, for God was happy. He had found the perfect gift for those he loves.

Pastor George Hawthorne