Getting in the Spirit

Christmas. What does in mean? If the world around me is correct it is about spending money and currying favor with the people you know and love. It's a great excuse to throw a party where people drink too much and make fools of themselves. It's about putting the guilt trip on the fortunate on behalf of the less fortunate. Oh yeah, somewhere in there we celebrate the birth of our Lord and savior.

For the past several years I have tended to check out of the festivities of Christmas. To clarify, the secular festivities. The crass commercialism is overwhelming, to be sure, but I have successfully delegated that responsibility to Emma. My total involvement in the gift buying is severely limited, which is a good thing. The grandkids would probably be disappointed if I was in charge. So Emma enjoys spending money, the grandkids love the gifts, and I get credit too.

So for me it's work to get in the spirit. It generally takes a healthy dose of Christmas music, a couple of good sermons, and lots of prayer. I got the Christmas music this past Tuesday when we attended a performance of Handel's Messiah by the Austin Symphony and Chorus Austin. Usually the best I can do is listen to the CD but this year we splurged. Great investment! Nothing quite as exhilarating as the Hallelujah Chorus performed by real musicians. I'm breaking out my Manheim Steamroller albums tonight to continue the mood. I'm actually looking forward to church Sunday because the story of the birth of Christ never gets old!

All I need now is lots of prayer. That's not for the Christmas season necessarily but to rescue me from the dark moods brought on by the evil in this world. Its hard to watch the deterioration of our society without despair setting in. It seems the path is set. I will be fervently praying that it changes.

So I am feeling pretty good about it. The evil will always be there but so will the hope. At a time when its hard to put your faith in people it's comforting to know that the grace of God will always be there. Merry Christmas!