Merry Christmas!

"Merry Christmas! Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Son of God."

You're probably thinking I've lost a screw or two. Christmas is a few days away, right?

Well, kind of. But there's a reason I say all this. Don't worry!

Toward the beginning of November, I had bought a chocolate calendar. I kept it for a few days but eventually it got to the point of OverLoad. I couldn't just watch it. All alone. I felt sorry for the 25 unappreciated chocolates so I approached my little sister, Jemima, and made a suggestion. Each day we could break it in half, starting in November, and see how close we get to Christmas by the time we finish.

She replied with a solid, unshakable, "NO".

"You can't start it in November."

After a simple reminder that the chocolates would be broken in half, she agreed. With a smile.

So we began. It took almost double the time to complete it, but we unveiled our final chocolate at 10am this morning. The thing is, when we went to open the 25th window, she had one of those "NO" moments again. "You can't open the 25th window until Christmas day". Almost as if there it was forbidden by law. But after a few seconds, once again, she agreed. Tore open the window. Ripped through the silver foil. Whalla. The final chocolate. It felt... wrong. Maybe she was right. Maybe we shouldn't be eating the 25th Chocolate on the 22nd.

But just then... right before me, on the inside of the window, were the words:

"Merry Christmas! Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Son of God."

It was as if God whispered a special message in my ear which changed everything.

Surely that "today" didn't only apply to the 25th. Surely we're just as free "today" to celebrate the birth of our Saviour as we will be tomorrow or in 3 days.

If Christmas is all about Love... what about the 26th? What's that for... Boxing?

If Christmas is all about Giving... what about the 26th? What's that for... Saving in the Boxing Day Sales at Westfield?

Truth be told, everyday is Christmas. Everyday is for Love. For Giving. A Season of Joy.

Just as those chocolates could be munched a few days early...

Love is no season. It's a lifestyle. 24/7. 365 days a year.

The Birth of Jesus was the Birth of Joy. Not for one day in the year, but for each and every tick of that clock.

So Merry Christmas !!!

Today !