>Every Christmas, lights and tinsel decorate malls and shopping centers. Every Christmas, cash registers ring with the sound of Christmas purchases. Every Christmas, we sing Christmas carols and revisit the story of Jesus's birth on Christmas day. Every Christmas, we reflect on this season of love, joy and peace, and we find ourselves faced with the question of what Christmas really means to us.

But what does it mean to you, really?

Giving and receiving? Spending time with family and friends? Holidays and fun? Good food?

Christmas to me means all of the above, but more than anything else, Christmas is a time to remember a history-altering event that happened more than 2,000 years ago - the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a time to celebrate the one event that would change the course of history for an entire world - bringing salvation and hope. Christmas to me means that through the ups and downs of the year, the mistakes and the accomplishments, the good times and the painful times, I know that there's Someone I can always run back to - Someone who loves me as I am, and Someone who brings meaning, joy and peace.

Now, what does Christmas mean to you? I pray that as you reflect on this question your heart will be drawn nearer to His this season.

Crystal