All the frantic shopping is now replaced by all the manic returning.  The long lines at cash registers are replaced by long lines at customer service counters with each less than delighted gift recipient sorting through gift receipts and cash register tapes as they negotiate with the harried sales clerks for a different size, a different color or a different item entirely.

The tree is still standing but it is now listing just a little and a few of the ornaments have rolled under the couch, almost as if seeking sanctuary from the kid’s mad dash to grab the brightly colored packages on Christmas morn.  It was a frenzy of “oooo’s” and “ahhhh’s” and “What is its”.  There are still pieces of wrapping paper and ribbon strewn about and maybe a big red bow sits silently on the coffee table.  Empty boxes and packing material lie in a pile and perhaps a big plastic garbage bag sits off to the side holding the remains of all the tattered paper that once guarded the identity of the gift inside.  Except for the really nice paper that mom or grandma carefully removed from their package, taking care not to rip it so it could be folded up and placed aside to use again.

 It went by so quickly.  Months of planning, weeks of shopping, days of wrapping and decorating and in what seems like only minutes it’s all over.  But is it really done?  Are you sure you opened all the gifts?

The most important gift of all on Christmas is the one that far too often goes unopened.  In all the hectic frenzy of the present filled, commercial Christmas we have created we forget all about it.  It is of unequalled value and has a price tag that Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Oprah combined couldn’t pay.  Because the price tag is not in dollars.

Perhaps we miss it because this gift is not wrapped in shiny paper and satin bows.  It’s wrapped in swaddling cloth and surrounded by hay.  The gift looks like a baby.  It even sounds like a baby.  But this baby is not just an infant child.  This baby does not represent a promise for the future.  This baby IS a promise fulfilled.  He does not represent love.  He IS love.  This baby does not represent a new generation because this baby IS timeless and is the everlasting covenant between God and man.

This is the most important gift we can open on Christmas, but unlike the sweater that will sit in a drawer or the kid’s toys that have probably suffered irreparable damage within minutes of being opened, this gift is meant to be opened and used every single day.  It is the gift the Creator bestowed upon his creation to bring them closer to Him and remove the division of imperfect man from a perfect God.

All you need to do is open it and accept it to behold the unequalled extent of God’s love. 

“For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Kinda makes that Nintendo Wii pale by comparison, now doesn’t it?

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.  This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.  And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.  Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.  While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.  And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.  But the angel said to them, ”Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, ”Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”

So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.  When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.  And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.  But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.  They said to him, ”In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:  “AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’”

Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, ”Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”  After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.  After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.  Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ”Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”

So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.
He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ”OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON.”

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became enraged and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: ”A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE.”

But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, ”Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.”

So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee,
and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: ”He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Merry Christmas – Our epilogue/ Christmas Part 3 will be posted tomorrow.

There are a lot of stories right now that lead the headlines and keep the pundits in business, but none are as important as this one.

The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.  Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.  Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon.  Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse.

Jesse was the father of David the king.  David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.  Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa.  Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah.  Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.  Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah. Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel.  Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor.  Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud.  Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

 
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.  And coming in, he said to her, ”Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”  But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.  The angel said to her, ”Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Mary said to the angel, ”How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, ”The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.  And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Before Joseph and Mary came together Joseph found Mary was with child.  Being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, Joseph planned to send her away secretly.  But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ”Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

”^]BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, ”GOD WITH US.”

Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife. 

Our real headline story continues tomorrow.

For all you lazy Luke’s and Last Minute Lucy’s; I feel your pain.  You see, I too procrastinate until the last possible moment before buying Christmas gifts.

It’s not that I don’t like buying people gifts; it’s just that I don’t like shopping, even for myself.  While some look at shopping as a competitive sport and will spend hours studying the playbook, more commonly known as the sale papers, I want to get what I need and get out before I am devoured like a limping zebra at the watering hole.

 My beloved first born makes a shopping trip almost like a scavenger hunt, checking competitive pricing on the internet before going to the store and then taking advantage of the oft advertised but rarely used price match policies.  She not only gets a discount off the store price but gets a discount below the competing stores price as well.  She is very much like me in that she too hates to shop but the challenge of getting the discounts and rebates are enough to keep her shopping cart rolling.

I, on the other hand, would prefer to pay a premium if it meant speaking to someone who knows what the hell they are talking about and are able to communicate that information in English.  I would pay even more if it would entitle me to expedited service through the checkout lines and still more for a few blocker cars to run interference and help me get out of the parking lot where carnivorous Christmas shoppers circle in wait for a harried shopping neophyte like me.

I considered shopping on-line this year and found a few interesting ideas. 

For the ladies on my list I considered the new line of high fashion pantyhose designed by that stalwart of American values Lindsay Lohan.  Ms. Lohan just released her new line of couture leggings called 6126 which include a pair of black nylons intentionally tattered with huge holes and runs down both legs.  These ripped up stockings are designed for the “I just had a terrible car wreck” look that is so popular today.  While they will only set you back a measly $80.00 per pair, I decide against it.

For the guys I thought that while Michael Jordan and Charlie Sheen are all over the TV tube hawking the working man’s underwear from Haines, if you really want to make a guy feel like a star down thar you need only buy a pair of Hanro Cotton Sporty Knit Boxers Model 3505.  These delightful underbritches are touted by none other than megastar and apparent underpants aficionado Adam Sandler, who wore them in a scene of that blockbuster movie “Spanglish” (at least I think it was a movie).  The little butt huggers are far from being tighty whities, advertised as full cut for roominess and comfort and only $70.00 per pair.  Once again, I decided against it. 

I had no choice but to venture out onto the precipice of insanity and go shopping. 

I wanted to go to a place where I could buy for just about everyone on my list.  My choice was the big box store that I racked over the burning coals last Christmas season for the inept, apathetic service delivered by teenaged assistants who were far more interested in scoring a little cuddle time with other assistants than helping confused shoppers like me.  I prepared for the worst, braced myself for the impending doom and went to Best Buy.

What a surprise.

Instead of having to search for a libido driven adolescent in a blue polo shirt I was greeted by a plethora of adult sales clerks, each asking if I needed any help finding something and even offering advice on some of the hottest items.  And this wasn’t at just one store.  I went to several Best Buys in three different states and had the same experience.  Helpful associates who didn’t point and say “It’s over there” but rather walked me to the items I was looking for and before leaving asked if there was anything else I needed.  At the checkout, there were sufficient registers open to keep the crush of shoppers waiting in line to a minimum and a few floor managers walking around asking if anybody needed further assistance.

It is obvious that Best Buy has made a corporate decision to keep as many of their currently cash strapped customers as possible in this recessionary market.  I wondered if the horrid job market played a part, allowing retailers like Best Buy to get more qualified, mature salespeople to work the floors than in years past.  Whatever the reason, it made me want to give my limited holiday dollars to a store chain that took customer service back to where it used to be.  Actual service.

While this experience may not make me look forward to Christmas shopping, at least I can walk with my head held high and my undies unbundled.

Even if they aren’t Hanro Model 3505’s.