As a child, every year I would eagerly anticipate opening my presents and the euphoria I would feel as I came face to face with the objects of my desire. And every Christmas was the same; anticlimactic. It never lived up to my imagination. I was always left with a dogged emptiness. Every Christmas as night fell I would lie in my bed, half disappointed and half confused, thinking “I should be happier.”
Then one year, I discovered the joy of Christmas. That year I had taken extra care to get or make presents that my family and friends would appreciate. As I watched them open their presents and share Christmas hugs, I finally felt it… the Joy of Christmas. It truly is better, much better, to give than to receive.
I like to imagine what the first Christmas must have been like when the Father lovingly and joyfully gave His only begotten Son to mankind. How He must have been beaming in heaven when the shepherds and wise men first laid eyes on The Present. What a Gift! What a Giver!
Merry Christmas everyone and as you share treasured moments with friends and family may your joy be full!
Copyright 2017, Matik Nicholls