The Joy of Christmas

By Ngoc Pham

s I finish my final exams, it is time for me to turn to the next important thing on my agenda--Christmas. Outside, the snow has started to fall and the weather has turned considerably colder. Christmas carols ring out from my neighbor's apartment upstairs. I suppose they have already gotten into the holiday spirit. How could anyone not? All around us, signs of Christmas abound. The TV commercials are reminding me that I have about 90 other people that I need to send Christmas cards to and dozens more for whom I need to buy presents. My neighbors have put up icicle Christmas lights around their house and Santa Claus stands on their front lawn waving at passerbys.

Christmas for me is an important holiday. Even though I am not a little kid anymore, there is still something about this holiday that brings out the kid in me. I enjoy looking at all the things on sale in the stores and all the decorations that light up the city streets. Walking through downtown, sometimes I have a feeling like I'm in a fairyland.

But for me, the best thing about Christmas is the reminder of the relationships that I have with people around me. Every time I write a Christmas card to wish a friend joy and happiness, I find myself saying a little prayer for them. Usually, I don't express myself much. I don't tell my parents that I love them and I don't tell my brothers and sisters that I miss them because I live far away. But during Christmas, I find myself writing sentimental things in the cards and wishing that I could be home for Christmas.

When I was young, my mom taught me a wonderful lesson during Christmas. In our house, we had the nativity scene that my father put up three weeks before Christmas. But there was always the straws missing in the stable. My mom told my siblings and me that it was up to us to put in the straws, one by one. But in order for us to put in the straws, we must first do something nice. Every time that we did something nice for each other, or that we made a sacrifice, we were allowed to put in one straw. Anyone who put in the most straws would receive an extra present. Of course, my siblings and I were all very competitive kids and we wanted to be the one to win. I think my mom knew that too, and that was why she turned it into a competition to motivate us.

Even though I did nice things and made sacrifices because I wanted to win the present, subconsciously, that competition instilled in me a real sense of Christmas. Reflecting back on it, I see that Christmas is indeed a time when we pay more attention to the people around us. It is a time for us to build and rebuild relationships. By reaching out to others during Christmas, we are also confirming the message of Christmas. Christmas represents the day that God extended Himself to us even more profoundly by giving us His only Son as our Savior. God reached out to humankind and made peace with us, despite our unfaithfulness towards Him. Thus, when we reach out to people around us, whether they are our family, friends, or strangers on the street, the love of God is manifested in our actions.

I think as Christmas come, I still think of the parties that I will attend, the presents that I will give and receive, and the places that I will go to celebrate. But I know in my heart that there is more to Christmas than these things. And so, let the sky snow, let the carols play, and let the holiday bells ring, for I am ready to greet Christmas with an open and joyous heart.