Christmas Joy 

   Watch a small child on Christmas.  You will see excitement and joy beyond description.  At four or five years old children haven’t yet learned how to curb their enthusiasm, which is a blessing.  How I wish adults could retain some enthusiasm for the real gift of Christmas, the birth of our saving Lord.

   You can’t help but notice the delight in children’s eyes as they open their gifts.  It is pure joy, a joy so many seem to lose as they grow older.  I find it sad that most people seem to outgrow such enthusiasm in their lives.  We tend to be more adult in our celebrations, more mature; we’ve lost the abandonment to joy that we once knew.

   It occurs to me that the unbridled joy and happiness of children is the perfect example of how to celebrate Christmas.  Our joy for the gift of Christ should be as evident and enthusiastic as that of a child opening Christmas presents or discovering the treasures left under the tree by Santa.  We need to emulate their excitement and have that same enthusiasm as we contemplate the birth of our Lord.

   Christmas is a time for unbridled joy.  I wish all of us could remember the enthusiasm, wonder and happiness of a child at Christmas and keep it throughout life.  I think Jesus would be pleased if we had that child-like joy in our hearts as we celebrate His birth.