Why I Celebrate Christmas

Many people celebrate Christmas for many reasons. Some say Christmas is about the gifts. Most of these people are probably pretty shallow and really have no value to give.
 
Some people say Christmas is about spreading love, happiness and joy. We don’t need a holiday to do that. We should be doing that everyday!
 
Some say Christmas is about spending time with the family, getting together with loved ones, and making memories. I would have to say, yes that is part of the reason. Christmas is great when you are with your loved ones, but for me Christmas is much more than that.
 
Here is the main reason why I and many other people around the world celebrate Christmas…
 
Matthew 1: 18-24
 
18This is how Jesus Christ was born. A young woman named Mary was engaged to Joseph from King David’s family. But before they were married, she learned that she was going to have a baby by God’s Holy Spirit. 19Joseph was a good man and did not want to embarrass Mary in front of everyone. So he decided to quietly call off the wedding. 20While Joseph was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, the baby that Mary will have is from the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and marry her.
 
21Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22So the Lord’s promise came true, just as the prophet had said, 23″A virgin will have a baby boy, and he will be called Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.”
 
24After Joseph woke up, he and Mary were soon married, just as the Lord’s angel had told him to do. 25But they did not sleep together before her baby was born. Then Joseph named him Jesus.
 
Matthew 2: 1-12
 
1When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem 2and said, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” 3When King Herod heard about this, he was worried, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. 4Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”
 
5They told him, “He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote,
 
6′Bethlehem in the land of Judea,
you are very important
among the towns of Judea.
From your town
will come a leader,
who will be like a shepherd
for my people Israel.’ ”
 
7Herod secretly called in the wise men and asked them when they had first seen the star. 8He told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I want to go and worship him too.”
 
9The wise men listened to what the king said and then left. And the star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10They were thrilled and excited to see the star.
 
11When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshiped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh [c] and gave them to him. 12Later they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back home by another road.
 
So this year when you’re with your family, spreading the love, and opening your gifts just remember that God gave us a very special gift many year ago in a little town called Bethlehem.
 
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!