I read this week of a man who took his whole family around the neighborhood to sing Christmas carols. He was a resident of Hillsboro, California. As his family gathered together in the front of the first house, he knocked at the door and a woman came to the door, distraught and said, “Look, fella, I’m too busy, The plumbing went out, I can’t get anyone to fix it, and there’s a mob coming over for dinner tonight. If you really feel like singing Christmas carols, can you come back at 9:00, OK?”  And the man politely said, “Yes, ma’am.”

The man’s name? Bing Crosby.  That Lady missed out on a serenade by the entire Crosby family because she was too busy to really take time to think about the significance of the season.

Sometimes that’s easy to do, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in one of the busiest seasons of the year. With festivities to plan and parties to throw and presents to buy, sometimes it’s easy to lose the real joy of the season.  It really involves a conscious, continuous effort not to let the reason for the season to slip by. This Christmas don’t let the busyness of the season rob you of the joy of the season. Let’s remember that Christmas is about God entering this world as a little child to save us. My deepest prayer for all of us is that we will allow this Christ Child to be born within our lives in new ways this year.

Merry Christmas,

Bill.