This Is What Christmas Time Means To Me

Christmas makes you feel emotional.

It may bring parties or thoughts devotional.

Whatever happens or what may be,

Here is what Christmas time means to me.

Those words are the introduction to one of my favorite Christmas songs. You may not recognize them but you will recognize the rest of the song.

City sidewalk, busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style.

In the air there's a feeling of Christmas.
Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile,
And on every street corner you'll hear:

Silver bells, silver bells, it's Christmas time in the city.
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring, soon it will be Christmas day.

City street lights, even stop lights, blink a bright red and green,
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures.
Hear the snow crunch, see the kids bunch, this is Santa's big scene,
And above all this bustle you'll hear:

Silver bells, silver bells, it's Christmas time in the city.
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring, soon it will be Christmas day.

It's an ageless song, isn't it? Whether you prefer Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Andy Williams, Michael Buble, Martina McBride, Alan Jackson, or a host of other classic and modern artists, you are sure to find a recording to suit you.

Yes, it's one of my favorite Christmas songs. But there is no mention of the real meaning of Christmas. You may catch a glimpse of it in the first verse where people are happy and treating each other joyfully. By the time the second verse comes around with the focus on shopping you see the writer wasn't trying to tell us about the true meaning of Christmas.

I'm OK with that. I'm not one who thinks everything about Christmas has to include a Bible verse. I like giving and receiving gifts. I still believe in Santa Claus; he's just not who I thought he was when I was a little kid!

But you can't have Christmas without Jesus. I want to tell you what Christmas time means to me.

Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior. His birth was the fulfillment of promises God had made through prophets centuries earlier. Jesus is the Son of God and he IS God. he lived the same kind of life you and I live filled with the same struggles and emotions and temptations you and I experience - but he did not sin. He overcame everything life threw at him to remain holy and pure.

Jesus is the Lamb of God who was the sacrifice for our sins. God demands a perfect sacrifice and Jesus met the qualifications. His death was in my place - yours, too - so that by believing (which is not just head-knowledge but a total commitment of myself) I could be reconciled to God.

Jesus not only lived and died, he also resurrected and lives again. Even today Jesus is alive. He returned to heaven where he is preparing a place for those who believe and will return one day to gather us to himself. In the meantime, his Spirit is with us to help us live each day to bring glory to him. I want my life to honor Jesus and help others to see how they can also be reconciled to God through Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and return.

This is what Christmas time means to me.