Christmas Spirit

December 24th. It's a day to be celebrated all around the world. When I was little, I loved Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was the time of year when our house smelled fabulous from all of the cookies we were making, everything just seemed perfect. The decorations were beautiful, full of light and joy. I would even fall asleep next to the tree because I loved watching the lights.. I'm sure if I really thought about it for awhile that my Christmases growing up were not as stellar as I remember. And this year is no exception. There's some unspoken code of conduct for the Christmas Holiday that seems to overshadow every other holiday. Everyone tries to put on a happy face and enjoy the festivities, even if your life sucks. Everyone smiles in the photos, even if moments before they were arguing. Everyone loves the gifts they get even though they're secretly looking for the gift receipt and plotting how best to return it. Everyone joins in on the holiday baking of cookies and candies and cakes and loves every minute.But let's be real, Life.Christmas is a wonderful season, a glorious holiday. It's the day that Our Christ, Our Lord and Savior came onto this Earth to save us.I'll be honest, this year hasn't been the most fabulous. I've had my trials and my joys.  But as it's Christmas Eve, I seem to be wallowing in my trials and not my joys. It has seemed these past few days that everything is going wrong. From presents that were given but not received well, to unexpected expenses, to the topper on the cake of getting sick. One of my friend's texted me this morning with some profound wisdom that I had to share:

"It's all good to want the 'perfect' Christmas but sometimes LIFE. We are moving, or in a tough time, or struggling with our Faith and Hope when it all seems to crashing into us at one time. 

That is where Christ comes. He is Immanuel. He comes into our mess. He came to us in a Barn. A messy, dirty Barn because there was no room for Him in the Inn. Let's be real, the Inn was probably a heck of a lot nicer than the Barn. Like the $500/night AirBnB than the tent in the back yard. But He came into the Mess of the World. " 

You see friends, Jesus didn't come to us in the beautiful Inn that serves breakfast to us when we wake up, the hot showers, the oh-so-soft towels. He came to us in the hay, in the dirt, in the messy, messy lives that we lead. What's even more amazing, is that when the Shepards left Jesus to return to their own homes, they were going right back to their messy, dirty lives too. They weren't amazingly transformed into billionaires who have drivers and an endless supply of money; or coming home to the best job that provides for them and their families. They returned home to a messy house (because they didn't host Christmas this year), laundry that still needed to be done, and their endless to-do lists.

One thing did change: Their Hearts.

In the midst of my not-so-joyous Christmas this year, in the midst of the massive changes that come as a college graduate, in the midst of trying to figure out life (if you've figured it out, let me know the secret!)  I'm trying to look past that. Guys, it's not easy, I may be faking a few smiles in the family photos. But it's possible because this Season, this Holiday, isn't about me, about gifts I give or get, decorations that may or may not be out, cookies that might not be made. It's about Jesus who came into the mess of my Life and Yours to bring us something even better:

Hope. Love. Joy. Faith. Eternal Life.

I hope this helps you remember where the true Spirit of Christmas comes from this year.