Christmas is just around the corner. For those of us who have studied history, we know that this celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated in the US each December 25th, is probably not the true birthday of our Lord and Saviour. There is not a word in the Scriptures about the precise day of His birth or the time of year when He was born. At the time that the angel announced His birth to the shepherds of Bethlehem, they were feeding their flocks by night in the open fields. Now . . . the climate of Palestine . . . the cold of the night, from December to February, is very piercing, and it was not custom for shepherds of Judea to watch their flocks in the open fields later than about the end of October. So, it is likely that Jesus was not even born in the month of December.
As Christian we get worked up by the change of many corporations advertising  "Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holiday". In reality, "Holiday" actually means "Holy Day" from Middle English, from Old English hāligdæg, from hālig holy + dæg day.
This day is a time we've set aside to celebrate the greatest gift each of us could be given. This gift is the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Through Him we are given a clean slate. It is the gift with no strings attached. It is the gift if life. It is a gift of un-conditional love. It is a gift that never stops giving. So regardless of the specific date or how it's conveyed, let us make Jesus the reason for this day and each day we live. Let us all live each day as Holy and have more of Christ in everything we do.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holy Day, and may the Lord bless you in the New Year!