Christmas is a very special holiday in my family, as it probably is in yours. My childhood memories of Christmas are things that I treasure to this day.

My grandparents lived in a small town in south Georgia and at Christmas, there was always a large family gathering on Christmas Eve. This also included all of the neighborhood kids. My grandfather would build a huge bonfire in the backyard and all of the children would gather to shoot fireworks. There would be firecrackers, Roman candles, cherry bombs, sparklers, and the like in a huge box, and we would spend the entire evening playing and watching the fireworks display.

This was a magical time for me. Santa Claus was the topic of conversation and the grownups would encourage the excitement by saying “I think I hear reindeer and Santa on the roof.” I would get so excited that I could hardly sleep. You see, I was so trusting, and I believed everything was truly real.

In the process of growing up, sometimes the things that we trust in become disappointments and we are disillusioned. We can end up losing our childlike faith.  The true meaning of Christmas gets lost in the excitement of what gifts we will be receiving and the goodies we will be eating.

Christmas season is now upon us once again.  Let’s enjoy all of our family traditions, but keep Jesus at the center of our celebration. Remember, He is always trustworthy and He is truly real. Let’s become childlike once again in our faith. Lets be wide-eyed in wonder at the beautiful gift of Jesus given to us by Father God!!!

God bless you and have a very Merry Christmas!!

Linda Hardwick                                                                 info@eagleswaychurch.org