Is Christmas Over?

That’s what my son asked me Thursday morning as we sleepily gathered at the kitchen table. My instinct was to say yes. After all, Christmas was the day before–and I suspected what he was really angling at was whether or not there would be more presents to open. (I think, no matter how much you emphasize Jesus’s birth, kids are going to remember the presents and look forward to that. And I don’t have a problem with it – you just work to shape an association of the presents we give to the true gift of Jesus.) But as I opened my mouth to say that, I paused. Because I don’t want Christmas to be over. Ever.

I spent much of this past Advent talking with my boys about the wonder of Jesus coming to earth for the sole purpose of reconciling us to God. I’m not sure why that sense of wonder and awe was so strong this year for me, but since it was, I shared it, hoping to plant the seeds in their hearts as well. It made the season so much better to have my heart so in tune with the things my head always tries to focus on. And it’s that sense of wonder, that deeper sense of God’s incredible gift to us–to me–that I don’t want to lose.

And so I checked myself. And instead I said, “You know what, sweetie, Christmas day is over – but we have Christmas every day we wake up and choose to let Jesus be in charge of our hearts.”

He said, “But no more presents?”

“No. No more gifts to unwrap for a little while. But we have Jesus.”

“Having Jesus is like getting a present every day.”

Yes, baby. Yes it is.