Like so many things in my life, the meaning of Christmas has evolved as I've gotten older. As a child, the holiday meant a time of gifts. As a teenager, I especially enjoyed the winter break from school and being reunited with friends and family. And now, as an adult, I find myself contemplating the larger idea of Christmas--the coming of our savior and what His life means to me.

            Even as a child I understood, to some degree, the enormity of the sacrifice that God made for us when he sent His son into this world. But the true, tangible and transformative power of His love, exemplified by Jesus' incarnation, was just that--an understanding--much more than an experience.

            When I came to Advent, that all changed. It was six months into my employment when I experienced my first Advent Christmas party with the boys in our residential program. It was a gathering not altogether unfamiliar to me. A large Christmas tree stood in the corner with piles of presents underneath. The air was thick with the smell of turkey and ham. And there was an electric excitement in the voices of all the boys. It was very much like the Christmas I experienced at their age--on the surface.

            It became apparent that this was much more, when I overheard one of the teens say to another, "This is the first time I've ever celebrated Christmas." Incredibly touched by what I thought that meant, I looked around to examine his first Christmas.

            That wasn't his Mom in the kitchen cooking the ham, or his Dad in the corner carving it. It was an entire family who had volunteered to provide a Christmas feast for the kids. Each of the delicately wrapped presents soon to be handed out to the boys hadn't been purchased by a parent or relative, but by a complete stranger. I found out later, that many of the boys received their very first Christmas present that afternoon.

            Before I arrived at the party I understood what to expect, but up until that moment, I didn't really have a clue what it all meant. In the ten years since that Christmas party, that experience has never left me.

            I think back to the boy I overheard and realize now that it was not, as I had presumed, his first Christmas. In fact, he had experienced more than a dozen before that--Christmases filled with disappointment, neglect, drugs and abuse.

            What changed that day for both the boys and me was our definition of Christmas. For the boys Christmas became something to "celebrate," not just a box on a calendar. And for me it became ALL the boxes on the calendar...and every hour, minute and second that they encompass.

            When Christ came into this world He brought the only hope that matters and a love that so radically impacts our lives that we can't help but change. It is His love that pours out of us and is shared with all of our clients.

            What I was witness to that day was Christmas. It was every present, every volunteer and every staff person, all of which was soaked in the transformative power of Christ's love and began to work in the lives of our boys. It can't--and won't--be defined by a single day and at Advent is experienced 365 days a year by our clients, our staff and our supporters.

            This year we are committed to once again bring Christmas to our clients year-round, but we can only do it with God's grace and your help. Please pray for us and consider getting involved in the lives of our clients by supporting us financially or volunteering.

            I hope that each of you experience an even deeper and more meaningful Christmas this Holiday Season and come to know your incredible importance to our agency.

                                                                                    With Gratitude,

                                                                                    Daniel Mahan

                                                                                    Chief Administrative Officer