I believe every Christian who celebrates Christmas in the traditional sense has their opinion of whether or not secular America wants to take Christ out of Christmas. It is the time of year when we Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior. It is a precious time for all who love God and even if it seems as if shopping is the focus of the holiday, there are those of us who take the special season to heart.
From the first plan of action, making special Christmas cookies–to the very last for us–which is gathering for the Kimbrough family Christmas party, our family does our best to keep it in focus.
The Baby in the manger is celebrated in so many ways within Santa Rosa County, it's easy to keep Him in mind. Local churches celebrating with special cantatas, live nativity scenes, caroling friends, giving to the needy and homeless with Toys for Tots, Angel Trees, meal tickets at the Waterfront Mission, Christmas trees abound wherever you look, along with front yard blow up décor.
However, it's the presence of His Spirit within our hearts keeping Christmas in perspective.
Christmas is about God becoming man and walking among us. It's about setting aside His deity to be the Savior of all mankind. Christmas, for a Christian, should be the center of our cosmos because of the meaning behind the manger scene.
In this, it would be more than difficult for it to be taken away from us. It is about the condition of our hearts, family, love, giving, friends sharing, helping with burdens of others and…cookies.
I think traditions keeps continuity and stokes our need for reminiscing. Including the times together in the kitchen with sugar, flour, butter and chocolate. Merry Christmas from our home to yours.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: The importance of cookies