It's Not the Best Christmas Ever

Every time I turn on the radio or the TV, all the ads scream variations on the same thing: "Make this the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!" We all simply MUST have that new piece of tech or toy for the kids or perfectly quirky little object to put on a shelf. Otherwise, how could we possibly have the "BEST CHRISTMAS EVER"?
But here's the deal, people. Come on, lean in close. Closer! I'll whisper it in your ear. The best Christmas ever already happened.
Whaaaat? I know, it's crazy. Surely having a bigger tree and more lights and more eggnog can make this year the best Christmas ever? But alas. There is no way that we could ever, ever top the real, true Best Christmas Ever.
Could it have been the year that you got that bike you really wanted as a kid? Or the year your family vacation went perfectly? What about last year, when everyone liked the gifts you got them?
Nope.
The Best Christmas Ever, the one we can never top, took place over 2000 years ago. A carpenter, some smelly sheep dudes, some animals, and a teenage girl, all squashed together in a smelly, dirty room, witnessed the most spectacular, wonderful, astounding thing that has ever happened: God made flesh. Jesus was born. The Word of God came to live with and for his people. A baby, but also a king. The best gift ever and the only gift we could ever really need.
With all the shouting and shopping of today, I know I lose the focus of Christmas. I spend more time (and money) worrying about myself and my immediate wants, instead of setting my mind on that baby, born in Bethlehem, the city of David - Christ the Lord.
In some ways, knowing that the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER already happened is a comfort. We don't have to live up to it. Nothing we ever do will be perfect, but the perfect Messiah lived among us and gave us his perfect life. There's nothing else on my Christmas list that could ever top that.

Merry Christmas, everybody.

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