Spirit of the Season

I'm sitting at work, listing to a Christmas mix that I made for Aaron last year.  It has some old, staple favorites, as well as some new.  It really doesn't feel much like Christmas time to me in sunny Mombasa.  I'm realizing that living on the Equator kind of keeps my mind in a holding pattern.  I know I've said it before, but I really think I'm fixated back in June.   But it's amazing how many feelings and memories are being conjured up as these tracks roll on.   As I listen to the music, I have to fight off the waves of homesickness that have suddenly started to rise.  Not unlike many people, December and all of its Christmas magic is one of my most favorite times of year...and I'm missing it in a way that I never have before. 

But, I have opportunities I've never had before either.  There was no snow on that first Christmas Eve.  There were no firs, no wreaths, no bows, no lights, no ornaments, no candy canes, no wassail. It probably wasn't even chilly.  What was there was the core of human happiness:  the Savior.  And what makes that humble manger scene even more poignant, more pure, was that it was adorned by angels, family, friends, acts of service, music, gentle creations of our God, starlight and love.  Who of us is not surrounded by such blessings?  I know that even at the shores of the Indian Ocean, I am.

This is the spirit of Christmas.  This is the Spirit of Christ.

Christmas in Kenya is already more different than anything I've experienced.  The symbols of Christmas will always hold memories, wonder and excitement for me.  But this year, they will give way to the true spirit of the season, creating what I hope will be the best Christmas I've had yet.