The Adventures of Christmas Sample

December 12th

Do you love preparing your home for Christmas? Growing up, my Grandma Stanford loved decorating. We hated it. Her pride and joy was the Christmas tree. She hand strung popcorn. She only used glass ornaments, no plastic. Kids were not allowed to haphazardly put stuff up. She meticulously put things in place. If you accidentally broke one of the ornaments horsing around, it was your last Christmas.

But after all of that fine decorating with such detail, she would then smother the tree in tinsel. It looked like it had snowed with shredded tinfoil, every vacuum cleaner’s nightmare. But she loved that tree. Some people spend hours decorating their homes. A house in Australia holds the record for the most Christmas lights. It's half a million lights, 31 miles of string and it takes the family months to put them all on.

It's interesting. When you read through the Christmas stories of Matthew and Luke, there are only half a dozen people who were actually ready for the first Christmas. Only a half-dozen understood its true meaning. But none of them spent time preparing their home. Listen to how they are described.

Zechariah and Elizabeth are described as upright. Simeon was righteous and devout. Ana worshiped night and day. Joseph was a righteous man. Notice the pattern?

While most people prepare their homes for Christmas, these individuals prepared their hearts. And how well does the average American do during this time of year? Greed, impatience, overspending, worry and depression all go up. Our hearts are often in terrible shape by the time the 25th comes around.

Take some time to examine your heart; is it as prepared for Christmas as your home?