In today’s society we get wrapped up in so many different activities that we have hardly any time—frequently, no time—for things that are really important. This especially happens around the Christmas season. For us Christians, Christmas should not be a time where we are constantly running around, hurrying to get gifts wrapped, worrying about not having enough money, fretting over late packages, and other things like that. The entire point of the Christmas season comes down to one incredible moment. In one incredible moment, God came down to this earth in the form of a man and would change this world forever. The birth of our Savior—this is what Christmas should really be about. As a very musically oriented person, I have been playing, listening, and dancing to Christmas music since September. One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is the music. As a young child I always enjoyed listening to my uncle’s Christmas CDs playing, and once I began to play piano I would play the Christmas songs over and over again—never practicing anything else. I also love to dance, and for the past few years I have danced in my church’s Christmas pageant. This year the title of our pageant is “One Incredible Moment.” I really like that phrase, because as I said before, it sums up what the entire Christmas season is about. It is about one incredible moment when Jesus came to save us from our sins.

In today’s society it is extremely hard to slow down and think about what the Christmas season is really about. I live in D.C., and trust me, I know how hard it is to stop and really think about what Christmas is about. In this area people are constantly shopping, there are always tons of traffic jams—both inside and outside of the stores. If you see something you want to get for someone, you better get it then, because next time you go back to the store it will probably be gone. Sometimes it amazes me how society has warped this beautiful season. People have turned one of the most amazing holidays—at least in my opinion—into a cliché. Think about it: Christmas is the day we are to celebrate the birth of our Savior, yet our society has turned it completely around. They have turned Christmas into a day where we get presents from Santa Claus if we are good all year long. They have turned it into a season about snow, presents, stockings, ornaments, and carols—all things that have nothing to do with the original Christmas.

One of my favorite Christmas carols is “When Love Came Down.” The first time I ever heard it, a trio from my church’s adult choir sang it for our Christmas pageant. The chorus says, “So close your eyes and share the dream, that everyone on earth believe, the Child was born, the stars shone bright, and love came down at Christmas time, and love came down at Christmas time.” I think this sums up what the Christmas season is really about. It is not about getting presents, eggnog, snow, Christmas carols, or anything like that. It is all about that one incredible moment when the love of our God came down in the form of a man. God’s love for us is so great that He showed it by giving us the thing He loved most. I know that most of you, if not all, have heard that fact many times before, and I am positive that we would not need to be told it over and over again if only we would stop taking it for granted. God’s amazing love for us is something every Christian takes for granted at some time or another—and unfortunately it seems to be that thing that is most taken for granted in Christianity.

Although we have begun to lose our community, we have not lost them yet; and I believe that we, as Christians, can make a difference. There are many different organizations around Christmastime such as Angel Tree, the Salvation Army bell-ringers, and all sorts of others that we have an opportunity to participate in to help those less fortunate than us. As Christians, we need to show how important giving really is. We need to show the world—or at least our community—that Christmas isn’t about what you get, but what you give. Giving—really giving from the heart—is what really matters. It is amazing to watch the department stores and malls around this time of year. You would never know the difference between anyone in those stores. Almost every single person is pushing, shoving, yelling, or screaming—just so they can get what they want before someone else does. This is the biggest problem. Our society has turned Christmas into a season all about me, me, me. We need to change it, and make it all about Him, Him, Him. Think about that this Christmas season; think about how this entire world was changed forever—in one incredible moment.