Let Us Slow Down!

In olden days, the Christmas season was a time to slow down, reflect and experience the joy of the holiday with family and friends. But the world in which we live seems to grow ever more hectic and chaotic. Because of our frantic pace, we often forget what Christmas is about.
An old Russian carol tells us, ‘Heaven and Earth now celebrate / Angels and men joyfully feast / Christ the Savior is born / God in the flesh.’ Folk songs such as this remind us of what we're missing. 
We gather together as a family, as a community, because heaven and earth first gathered around the manger. We celebrate because all of creation celebrated the birth of our Savior. We give gifts because God has given us the greatest gift of all: redemption.
The festivities we take part in and the joy we experience, are rooted in a miracle that occurred over two millennia ago. But if we forget the reason for our celebration, the light of Christmas will eventually fade, leaving nothing but consumerism in its place. 
As we approach the Nativity of our Lord once more, let us rekindle the feast, let us slow down, take time to reflect, to be charitable and to embody the Christmas spirit. May all of you have a blessed Christmastide.