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Tis the season for all things bright and beautiful. ‘Tis the time to celebrate, decorate, and congregate. The Holiday season is always chaotic and filled with expectations for the young and old. We all desire it to be full of the same childlike wonder we once enjoyed and sprinkled with elfin dust.

Christmas becomes difficult and painful for many who are going through hardships as if grief needs more heartache.  There are those whose financial circumstances feel pressure to purchase items they can ill afford while their children search for Santa in the night sky above them. Yes, sometimes the season can fall flat, joyless, and painful for some. 

The other day as I walked toward the kitchen to grab my coffee, I heard a snippet on the news that struck me. I have no idea what story it was related to, but when I heard it, I wanted to jump up and down while singing, “Joy to the World!” 

“It seems people are growing tired of hatred.” That such a sentence was so profound that it made the news and stopped me in my quest for my morning java is miraculous. 

Antisemitism, racism, intolerance, conspiracies, and violence have inundated our world at warp speed and created distrust in all aspects of our lives. We have been so caught up in our beliefs and opinions in the last few years that maybe we should keep putting up campaign signs instead of Christmas trees. 

Tired of hatred? Duh, you bet ya! Yet, how do we stop it?  How can we help those suffering, and how do we return to a Christmas filled with comfort for all? Well, it goes back to the first sentence of this story, “Tis the Season!’ 

God looked down upon this world 2022 years ago and said (in my own words), “My poor children need some help down there! They love to hate, and they lose their way through outside influences. They surely can’t see the forest for the trees, and if a miracle landed on their front porch, many would stomp on it before they recognized it was a priceless treasure. Yep, I created every one of them in every color and gave them a good brain with free will to discern right from wrong. Shoot, and sometimes they get it all wrong, so I must take immediate action before it becomes downright dangerous!” 

So, on a cold winter night, a baby was born to show the world the face of God. The forest opened, the light was shown, and a miracle was delivered to save us. The son of God was given to us from love, not hate. Christ came to forgive, to teach, and to spread the absolute joy of his Father. 

He lived to comfort the grieving and the downtrodden and to encourage us never to give up hope. And if we understood the story of Christmas, we would all be tired of hate and denounce those who promote it. If we comprehend the miracle of Christmas, we will see God standing with us during all our suffering and pain.

‘Tis the season to promote goodwill and peace, not discord and distrust. It is the time to look to a righteous and just God who loved us enough to send his son to take the fall for us. Do we not understand, after all this time, that hate will never, ever, not in a million years, win?  So take the campaign signs down, store the anger away, destroy the bitterness in your heart and let Christmas flow right in. Trust God to heal our pain and forgive our distrust. We must celebrate the greatest gift that costs absolutely nothing to obtain if we just open the front door. 

The Lord is still with us, walking among us, reminding us to be of good courage and filled with humility, generosity, love and kindness. He expects us to hear and honor him in everything we do and say. ‘Tis the season to praise God from whom all blessings, comfort, strength, and elfin dust flow. 

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel” (which means “God with us.”) Matthew: 1:23