What is Christmas to you?

Presents, turkey, log cakes, stockings, christmas trees, lights, the combination of red & green, snow, eggnog, gingerbread, candy canes, hot chocolate, cookies, leg ham, mistletoes, snowmen, snow angels, sleds, mantle pieces, mince pies, christmas movies, shops closing early, parties, going to church, elves, reindeers, Santa Claus etc...

The list could go on and on and on. And yes, they do remind me of Christmas, but that's not all Christmas is about.

To me, Christmas is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The wonderful Savior who is God but became Man, who suffered all the name calling and finger pointing, who carried His own cross all the way up to Calvary Hill, who laid down His life so that we might live. And most of all, the wonderful Savior that never blamed us or hated us because of the things we did, but instead forgave us and continued loving us so unconditionally. He was born to die.

Every Christmas, my love for Jesus just overflows so much as I hear the story of how He was born in a manger and how all the angels and shepherds flocked to see Him. It's always such a beautiful reminder to see how such a wonderful and glorious God humbling Himself down to our level, so that we might know Him better, so that He could do what no one else could - so that He could take on the sins of the world. Also, this time of the year is extremely beautiful as the whole world calls out the name of Jesus in the carols they sing and the stories they share.

Apart from that, Christmas is also a time spent with family, friends, and loved ones in general. It's the time of the year when we make the effort to appreciate and thank those people who have been in our lives. It's also the time to reminice about the year that has gone by, and to anticipate the coming year together.

Love is first, gifts are secondary.

This is just how I feel about Christmas, the essence of it. However, I still deeply appreciate all the Christmas wishes, and Christmas cards and Christmas presents :)

I've had an incredible Christmas this year with all the people I love. I hope everyone else had an equally amazing Christmas ^^

MERRY CHRISTMAS!