My grandmother LOVED Christmas! Once she gave her life to Jesus in the early 1950's, she became a new creation.
I grew up seeing her house transform into a beautiful Christmas wonderland of decorations shortly after Thanksgiving, and I was only happy to help! That meant drinking hot chocolate or Mexican "champurrado," baking cookies, gathering around the piano while my mom played and led us in singing Christmas carols, participating in the Christmas pageant at church, and not to mention the parties and gifts!
But was that really what Christmas was about? Grandma would repeatedly tell me that she loved Christmas because that's when we celebrated the birth of her Savior.
Once I was older and close to adulthood, did I understand that she honored Christmas in her heart year 'round through her love for our Lord Jesus and for those He loved - the lost. She spoke of Jesus to whomever would take a few minutes to listen to her: family, friends, neighbors, and strangers (the cashiers at HEB were prime targets). She served the Lord at church until her body became weak and frail with age. Even then, she would lift up people who came to visit her in prayer. Because of this, her love for Christmas became contagious, and she passed it on to her daughters: my aunt and mom, and this granddaughter.
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