What Are You Doing on Christmas Eve?

Christmas Eve, a day that used to bring much rushing and planning and cooking for me, now it is a day of pretty much solitude.  Erin will be with her dad and family, there are no family gatherings planned or cooking to be done.  There will be no one at the house for Christmas day dinner so nothing to prepare there, as happens families grow and go their separate ways. 
It is the reason many people don't like Christmas or are depressed by it.  I get it.  This year is very different for me, granny and papa are both gone.  While we didn't have a Christmas dinner last year, one was planned but papa fell just days before Christmas and he in the hospital, we visited there instead.  So this year are just memories of what previous years entailed.  Gathering with my aunt & uncle and their family for 'snack foods', going to look at Christmas lights, coming home and waiting for Christmas morning.


I don't know if the family Christmas day dinners will happen again next year or not.  It would be nice but not sure what the plan will be.  So many things can happen before then.  This year for the first time I'll be going to a Christmas Eve service.  I think I may have gone to one or two over the years but the years I went to didn't normally have them or if they did, our family was doing family things and did not go.  I'm looking forward to the new tradition.


And I do look forward to seeing Erin open her gifts and I pray that we can impress on her what the real gift of Christmas is.  It isn't the big present, it is the real presence of God that is important.  Today as you are preparing for family and friends, I pray you are prepared to meet the Lord as well.  And if you are alone on this special day, know that Jesus is a friend that will not leave or forsake you!  He is with you always if you accept Him as your Savior.


Today He wants you to know Him.  He came as a baby in manager, lived and died but more importantly rose again that you could live with Him eternally.  If you don't know Him, I pray that you come to Him today.  He loves you, He died for you and if you know Him as your Savior, He is coming again for you!  Be ready!