The smell of freshly baked gingerbread came from the kitchen and the lights on the tree glowed as I sat for a few minutes and enjoyed the moment. But it hasn’t always been this way. There was a time when I simply did not want to have Christmas at all. Just dragging the tree out and decorating the house left me feeling like my body was encased...

Robyn was angry and confused. She had just discovered that her much beloved roly-poly red robed Santa Claus was a marketing ploy invented in the early 20th century by Coca Cola to encourage consumerism. She was angry because she had been duped by the commercialization of what should be the most meaningful season of the year. She was also confused...

Twelve days before Christmas, the mail brought a stack of season’s greetings and a divorce summons. As I gathered the envelopes, I had no idea that a single moment was about to slash decades of family memories and traditions: searching for a fresh, fragrant tree; snuggling by the fire as carols played; reminiscing over snapshots of a growing...

December 20 - Coming soon! "God sent the angel Gabriel to (Mary). The angel said to her, 'Don't be afraid, Mary, because God is pleased with you. Listen! You will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus'" (Luke 1:26, 30-31). In five days we're going to celebrate Jesus' birthday! Many months before Jesus was born, God sent an angel to Mary....

"See what you have to look forward to now?" The whisper in my ear made my smile widen. It was Dec. 10th and we were on our first outing with our new baby. She was only 10 days old, but we braved the frigid Yukon winter to attend the Christmas pageant at a small mission church. I knew the service wouldn't be a grand production. The "church"...

Tis' the season to entertain. These days, "being jolly" has taken a back seat to the multitude of parties, plays and dinners we attend every Christmas. But no other time of the year is better suited to sharing Christ with our friends and family than the season that celebrates His birth. Everyone loves a party. So why not take the opportunity to...

“Don’t panic,” I told myself. “It has to be here somewhere.” “It” was my wedding ring. In its 24-year history, I had never lost it even for a minute. Now it was gone and I had no explanation for its disappearance. I was already in crises mode before the ring incident. It was the week before Christmas – my first Christmas as...