The Day After Christmas

Christmas cards have been opened. Flickering flames from the candlelight Christmas Eve service have been extinguished, Gifts have all been pulled from under the tree and unwrapped. Food has been prepared and consumed. Christmas music gives way to regular radio programming. Friends and family have been greeted with hugs, kisses, and Merry Christmas wishes.

Today, the stack of Christmas cards sits on my desk. Christmas letters will be saved for a while, new addresses added to the data base on my computer, and cards sent to St Jude's card recycling program. The trash bag filled with Christmas wrapping will go to the dumpster today. All the left over wrapping paper, tags, ribbon, and tape will be packed away in the Christmas storage box. The tree will stay up for a few more days. The gifts that we opened yesterday will be stored or put into use today.

The day after Christmas can be a sad day for some, filled with regrets. We lament the gift we didn't buy, the Christmas card we forgot to send, the gift we didn't get, the money we spent unwisely, the overeating, the family members we missed. The list goes on and on.

Christmas builds like a giant wave in early November and reaches its crescendo on December 25th, when we are tossed about in a maelstrom of laughter, joy, happiness, excitement, and love.   We ride the crest until, over the next few days, it ebbs and returns us to the "back to normal" of everyday life.

Despite the shopping, the wrapping, the card writing, the eating, and the decorating, the spirit of Christmas is always present because of the reason we observe the holiday in the first place.

It is the day we celebrate the birth of the Savior, Jesus Christ. No, he probably wasn't born on December 25th and there probably wasn't any snow on the ground. Still, the fact remains that this is the day we have chosen to remember that most holiest of events and the One who impacted history forever.

The young person who turns thirteen is still a teen the day after the birthday party. The couple who reaches their golden anniversary is still married half a century the day after the big celebration. Such a monumental event as our God giving us the most wondrous gift of all, His Son, cannot be forgotten simply because Christmas Day is over.

Like the ever pounding surge of the ocean waves, the impact of Christmas stays with us all year round.

Thanks for reading my blog!