Countdown to Christmas

Countdown to Christmas

We’ve all seen them, especially while waiting for a worship service to begin…the infamous screen Countdown to the start of the service. As it nears zero, the anticipation builds, and most people settle in for the beginning of the service. Well, except for that lady over to the right whose voice carries all over the auditorium and she can be heard talking through the first five minutes of the first song…but that’s for another blog post.

Now that Thanksgiving is in the rearview mirror, the Countdown to Christmas has officially begun. I googled “countdown to Christmas” and there are more than 118,000,000 results! Everything from counting the days until Christmas to how many Hallmark Christmas movies there are until Christmas to what sales items are available between now and Christmas. It’s mind boggling.

What are you counting down to as you look forward to Christmas?

One of the Family Goals for Christmas 2020 that I entered in my LifeJournal involves trying to bring a little happiness to my wife at the end of a tough year. She, like every school teacher in America, has been struggling to do her job effectively during the Covid19 epidemic. Between lockdowns, wearing masks, limited ability to move around the school, eating meals in the classrooms, and much more, she has wondered if her days as a teacher are numbered. Because of this, I searched for some way to bring a little joy into her life as she moves toward the end of this last semester of 2020.

What I landed on was to put a new Christmas ornament on her pillow every week (beginning in November) until Christmas morning. My wife LOVES Christmas…everything about it. Finding those ornaments every week has been a real boost for her morale. Naturally, she wondered who was leaving them and I told her that our 7-month old granddaughter was sneaking in and placing one on her pillow every week (I actually saw it happen). She totally bought it. This is a secret, so don’t let my wife know what’s really happening!

As we count down to Christmas this year, we are all hoping for something to give us a little boost. 2020 has been “one of those years” for the entire world…something almost unprecedented in history. So, I ask the question again:

What are you counting down to as you look forward to Christmas?

Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please Him.   

Luke 2:9-14