One of my favorite Christmas traditions that I’ve passed down to the boys is watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special. In it, Charlie searches to find the true meaning of Christmas. He tries all sorts of things: being counseled by Lucy, directing the annual Christmas play and nothing seems to help. When he returns to play rehearsal with a less than adequate tree, he’s filled with frustration, and yells, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?!” Linus, says, “Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.” And he begins to quote the Christmas story from Gospel according to Luke. "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,
praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Linus then walks back to Charlie and says, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”
That is what Christmas is all about. So often our society tries to tell us that Christmas is about getting more, about responding to the commercialism and materialism. But Christmas is all about that baby boy born so long ago. A baby that came in the most humble of settings
but one that changed the world forever.
As the days and weeks unfold on our journey toward that holy day, may we remember and celebrate the real meaning of Christmas. May we, like Linus, share the story of what happened that night so long ago. And may we slow down and reflect upon what it really means to be filled with the joy and spirit of Christmas.
May you and yours have a very blessed Advent season and a very Merry Christmas!
