Christmas Party

It was another successful Christmas eve blowout thrown by yours truly,
or so it seemed. The food had been ready since 6 o'clock about the
time the first guests arrived. This party had become quite the
tradition for friends and assorted family. We couldn't invite some
members of the family they were a little too straight laced and
wouldn't have approved of the drinking and carousing. Of course we
had to invite uncle Al, he was the one with the eggnog recipe that
would defrost anyone, no matter how cold it was outside.

This years party had gone the way of many previous years, eating,
drinking, someone hitting on someone else wife or girl friend. Words
were exchanged, blows were threatened, peace was returned by everyone
admitting that perhaps it was just the alcohol. Eventually the party
had started to wind down.

Couples were seeking quiet corners for a little snuggling by the fire,
listening to soft Christmas music. I decided this seemed like a good
idea to me. I found my wife, hard at work in the kitchen, and tried
to convince her to take a break and sit by the fire. She said she had
spoken to our next door neighbors the Whites, who had invited us to a
special midnight service at there church. I told her that I hoped to
be past out by midnight and that there was no way I was going to
church with the neighbors. I mean I had done the neighborly thing and
invited them to my party, and did they show? No.

Well the snow had been coming down all night. And Uncle Al was of course
the last to leave. I walked him to his car and wished him a Merry
Christmas, asked him if he was O.K. to drive. He said he was, but
hoped his kids would sleep in because he was sure he'd have a
hangover tomorrow. I said good luck tomorrows Christmas they'll be up
by 6:00. He laughed and drove away.

As Uncle Al drove down the street I noticed the hat from our snowman had
blown over into the neighbors yard. Everyone in the neighborhood
seemed to have decorated this year, I lined the house with
multi-colored lights, my neighbor across the street had the giant
blow up Santa, a little tacky I think. And the Whites had the
traditional nativity scene. I wandered over and bent down to pick up
the hat and stumbled a little and found myself face to face with
Christmas. I knelt there in the yard in front of that manger and I'm
sure I looked just like any other character in that scene. It was as
if I could see the whole scene from a distance, there I was kneeling
with hat in hand in front of Jesus. All of a sudden it came back to
me, all that I'd been taught all that I knew, The real reason for
this holiday. I didn't waste any time, I ran to the house, got my
wife, who was ready in a second. When I told her what had happened
she didn't say a thing, we walked over to the Whites and joined them
at there church for what was to become our new Christmas tradition.

We now have the Whites over every Christmas and some of the family, the
straight laced ones. No more spiked eggnog. You know Uncle Al can
make it even better without the rum. And all the friends that come
are invited to go to church with us, and many do.

If you'd like to find out the meaning of Christmas read Luke chapter 2 Verses 1 through 19 

or at least Luke chapter 2 verse 11.