It is a Christmas kind of day today. We got our “live” Christmas tree yesterday, I wrapped it in lights this morning and we will attack it with ornaments this evening. After 35 years of marriage we have lots of ornaments. The tree doesn’t have a choice, it will be made festive.
After lunch today we went to the new Pacific City shopping center in Huntington Beach, the one near the pier that overlooks the waves and sand from across Pacific Coast Highway. Sunny 80 degree days don’t feel very Christmas-y, but shopping and a gingerbread cupcake helped our holiday moods.
Our moods took a huge turn for the better as we returned to our car and prepared to head home. My wife’s cell phone rang. It was our son asking if they could stop by our house for a quick visit after they took our grandson to Pacific City to get his picture taken with Santa. “We’re at Pacific City now!” was Lisa’s smiling reply. In just a few minutes the arrival of a little boy was going do make our day infinitely better.
We made a u-turn and headed back up the escalator. 15 minutes later my Grandson was in my arms. Lisa and I took turns holding him while mom and dad shopped, and then we walked over to see Santa. We took several thousand pictures as Charlie sat in Santa’s lap. The “who the heck are you” look on his face as he stared at Santa’s beard was priceless. I found myself thinking that our grandson is the best Christmas present we could have hoped for.
After we arrived home I sat down to prepare a Christmas lesson to teach in church tomorrow. As I reviewed the story of the shepherds in Luke’s gospel I was reminded of how the arrival of another child, a different little boy, came to bring joy to the entire world. I realized that my grandson is actually the second-best Christmas present, that the greatest present at Christmas is the gift that God Himself gave us over 2000 years ago.
I pray that as I teach tomorrow I will honor the wonder of that gift, and that in these next two weeks before Christmas I will have opportunity to share with others the blessings that Christmas brings.
Bart
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