You have read it so many times... its in the word...

The mall is filled with crowds of people,
Minds set on what they want to get, on what they want to give.
Children are so excited the count down is FINALLY over!
The roads are being traveled to find snow and cold winter...

Santa clause is coming tonight for most of those little boys and girls...
Bringing big boxes filled with dreams hope wishes and surprises...
The Stocking are being stuffed with pointless little nick nacks and herseys candy.
All the silence is broken with footsteps herd on the roof...

Christmas you see, will be very different for me this year.
My tree naked underneath its needles...
My stocking still hung on the hanger... for it will not have a reason to be moved off..
The antisipation is not really here... cause i dont have excitment to wake in the morn..
Maybe except for the cinnamon rolls or that its stupid to sleep all day on christmas...

But you see, this christmas will be very different...

I sat in front of my naked tree just now... realizing that is how i will wake to it... naked and bare.
And as the tears rolled down my checks, feeling terribly sorry for myself...
I realized...
I had an "ah ha" moment..

Christmas...
"why must my family even have it this year?" i thought
Christmas...
"wait... christmas...."
Christmas...
"I know why we must have it" as i quickly whiped the tears off my sorry face and cleared the rock in my throught...

The meaning of christmas is not for us to be at the mall, nor is it to be awake all night not being able to sleep waiting for santa... Its not for the toys or the chocolate...

I cried as i looked at the star and realized what it was a representaion of... Christ...

And everything clicked.

The spirt of christmas is not in the mall or at the store...

The spirit of christmas is simply in the word.
And that is why i celebrate christmas this year...

For christ.

The spirit of christmas is the spirit of christ

And i let the tears leak on to my shirt as i remembered how truly blessed i am to even have what i do... i dont even possibly need anything else. i dont need stupid gifts that will be broken... or candy that will melt by the fire... i dont need wrapping paper and material things at all.... i have already been given the most beautiful gift of all.

I have him... i have christ.... i have the atonement... and that is all i need in this life.

I am greatful that my tree has not been crowed with silly things, I am thankful for the opportunity of not being cluttered with material things.... for i have been touched deeply this evening with the feelings that i should have had a long time ago...

My gift is more precious to me now than anything i could ever ask for... it was my gift... my one and only gift for christmas this year.

And who would have thought that my "very different", bare and naked christmas would have opened my eyes to my most cherished gift of all...