Why is Christmas slow to come and fast to go?

We look forward to Christmas all year and it's over in an instant. But think about the event we celebrate (New International Version). A young girl gets pregnant without being married (yet). She's visited by an angel who tells her how she became pregnant and who she is carrying. She was, probably, harassed by friends and relatives and her husband-to-be considered divorcing her. She held all these joys and troubles in her heart for nine months and, then, she had to take a long journey at the end of the pregnancy and, when they got to their destination, they had no place to stay and had to settle for a stable. Then, she had her baby in the stable. So, there was a long wait and a lot more trouble before Jesus was born than what we go through before our celebration of Christmas. But there was an even longer wait and more anticipation for the Jewish people whose prophets foretold the birth of a Savior for thousands of years.

While Christmas is quickly over for us, for Joseph, Mary and their baby, it was not over so soon and we can be thankful we don't have such trouble at our celebration. They were still in the stable for as long as it took to register for their taxes. Then they had the long journey (70 miles as the crow flies but longer depending on their route) back home with a newborn. I used to complain, in our nice, warm house, when I had to get up in the middle of the night to help take care of our kids. What was it like on a trip at that time?

Of course, there is no need to worry about Christmas "coming and going" if we truly celebrate Christmas year 'round. We often hear stories about "the true meaning of Christmas" around this time where people are being kind to each other and helping those in need. While that is laudable and is the right thing to do, it is the right thing to do every day and for every season - not just at Christmas (or during the Thanksgiving season) and not just while a reporter is watching. Being kind and helpful to the needy is the true meaning of being a Christian (or a human being for that matter) at all times. The true meaning of Christmas is that a child was born of a virgin. That child was our Savior who was God himself.

Merry Christmas!