This is the time I always find the hardest, the last few painfully long days before Christmas. I want them to be over so badly! But instead of thinking of just getting through the days, these are actually days to treasure! We can treasure the Christmas carols, movies and stories. We can treasure the last days of advent. We can treasure this last feeling of anticipation before Christmas comes. We can treasure the tree that still holds the special pre-Christmas allure. We can treasure the Christmas story, the miracle of the virgin birth, the truth of the fulfilled prophecies, and the blessing of the sinless Babe.
Now is the time to take a deep breath and enjoy these last days. Instead of wishing them to be over, let's take a moment to sit by the tree and simply enjoy them.
"O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel. That mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear. Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel." ~ John Mason Neale
