When the weather has turned colder, and the homes have turned cozier, it can only mean one thing… Christmas is on its way! Christmas for me has always been my favourite time of year, from being a wee boy until now I have loved every aspect of it. Now over the last four years, it has developed an even greater meaning.

A traditional Christmas for me as a boy was all about the food and the presents. My grandparents would come over on Christmas Eve, and we would order something nice like a pizza (very Christmassy, I know). We’d then stay up late (later) and watch movies until it was off to bed with my sister and I while my parents set up the downstairs living room for the following morning. We would wake up bright and early and rush downstairs to open our presents as a whole family. We all had our own spots where we would sit each year. It soon became a tradition of ours that once we had unwrapped a present, the paper would always be thrown at my sister. We were such a loving bunch!

Christmas Food

Once the presents were all opened, and my sister was buried in paper, it was time for breakfast! My grandad’s famous full English fry up; it even came with fried tomatoes and mushrooms. Now how’s THAT for a breakfast! After breakfast, my mum would spend the next 3-4 hours preparing the Christmas day feast (yes it really took that long!). Meanwhile, the rest of us would spend time playing with our newly received things or sleeping; because the young ones woke them up early.

We would soon come together again for more food! Roast turkey, potatoes and vegetables, stuffing and the all important pigs in blankets! We would celebrate together around the table while pulling Christmas crackers and reading the very funny jokes inside; well funny for me at least! Dinner is over and just when you think you couldn’t eat any more, out comes the Christmas trifle…wow wow wow! I can’t remember much of what happened after that point as the food coma was too much. All I know is we would wake up the next morning, on boxing day, and do it all again. Boxing day (in case you were wondering) is a day where us Brits decided to have another Christmas day…at least for me it is.

Christmas’s True Meaning

When all is said and done, and as wonderful as those memories were, they are not what is important about Christmas. Christmas is a time where us Christians remember the day Christ was born. I’m sure many of you know that is the reason, but how many of you know the reason why He came? There is a very serious issue every one of us faces, we sin. We sin because we are sinners. Our very nature is sinful and when given the chance we would all do the wrong thing. It seems like wrong is right in our own eyes. We lie, we cheat, we steal, we glorify ourselves rather than our Creator. Then we use His name in vain to cuss another human who stands in our own glorification. Simply put, we are wretched, but there is One who we can’t label in this way.

Jesus. He was born nearly 2000 years ago, God Himself, born in the flesh. He lived for 33 years on this earth, fully man, completely perfect, there was no sin found in Him at all. This Jesus who was stricken and counted as cursed by men, willingly went to the cross, to be crucified for OUR sins, not His, because He didn’t have any. It was our sins that were laid on Him and then He endured the wrath we so deserve and rose from the dead three days later having victory over sin and death.

This is why Jesus came; He came to die, for you and me. The Bible calls this justification, and it is a free gift for any! For all who would repent of their sins (confess them to God and to turn from them) and place their trust in the Son of God who died as a sacrifice for them. That is the greatest gift any man or woman could ever receive.