Sweet Faces at Christmas Time

Snow flakes drifting lazily down from the sky.
The thermometer reading 35 degrees.
My daughter participating in a small town parade.
Christmas music blaring from department store speakers.
Stores crowed with shoppers.
Traffic.
All these signs signal that the Christmas season is upon us.

But the real reason I love Christmas time has nothing to do with all those things. It is summed up in one word: Hope.

Why hope?

Because this is the time of year when people wish each other Merry Christmas and to be of good cheer. A time when good will is in fashion and smiles abound.

It is a time to hope in the good of humanity.
A hope that stems from a tiny baby lying in a manager.
A baby that brought hope to the world.
A hope of peace, joy and salvation.

Remember this hope as you go about the busyness of the holiday season.

The real reason for the joy in these cold days—that God became man in the shape of a baby that grew up to sacrifice for us so we could have eternal life.

Now that is a hope that brings a smile of gratitude to my face and true joy to my heart.