That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

"And there were in the same country

shepherds abiding in the field,

keeping watch over their flock by night.

And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them,

and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:

and they were so afraid.

And the angel said unto them,

'Fear not: for behold,

I bring unto you good tidings of great joy,

which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day

in the City of David a Savior,

which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you;

Ye shall find the babe

wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.'

And suddenly there was with the angel

a multitude of the heavenly host,

praising God, and saying,

'Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"

--Linus Van Pelt

Today marks the eve of Christmas Eve. As I was driving myself to my mom's office I heard this very quote before the Charlie Brown Christmas song came on. And this made the drive even more enjoyable. Thank you, Linus, for sharing the true meaning of Christmas.

It seems as though a lot of movies, television shows, and songs on the radio define Christmas as giving and receiving gifts. The material things. Or Christmas is about Santa Clause bringing presents from the north pole. I believe they're not that shallow because there are messages out there saying it's about being with family and friends and just having a Christmas time! Well, yes, that too, but there's more. Without Christ, there would be no CHRISTmas. December 25 marks the birth of Jesus. He came into this world to save us. He came into this world to die for us. This marks the day God gave his one and only Son.

And now, instead of saying 'Merry Christmas,' people say happy holidays. It kind of bugs me. Not that everyone should not say happy holidays but some people feel that they shouldn't say Merry Christmas. That pretty much erases the true meaning of what this season is about. So they don't believe in Jesus... happy holidays!

Maybe I'm blowing this out of proportion, but it's really the truth. Jesus is the reason for the season!

So have a Merry Christmas :]