And so this is Christmas and what have you done?
Another year over; a new one just begun.
—John Lennon
This year marks my forty-eighth Christmas! Forty-eight times I have celebrated the feast of God becoming man in the Incarnation. Forty-eight times I have sat in front of a Christmas tree and opened presents from those who love me the most. Forty-eight times. That seems like a lot to me, and for those older than me, that means even more Christmases to celebrate.
I have some great Christmas memories. I also have some memories of Christmas days that didn’t end up quite like I had planned. But all in all, there have been forty-eight times when Christmas just took over all my being for a day.
This year, Christmas will begin that really big change in my life. I will turn on the radio and I will be asked in a song, “And so this is Christmas and what have you done?” This year I will say that I fell short again, but next Christmas? Next Christmas, I will say that was the year I truly made a difference in my world. Yes, I am holding out for Christmas number forty-nine.
Hopefully, after reflection about the months gone by, you will be able to say, “This was the best year yet! I really used my gifts from to God to impact the world around me.” If not, let’s make a resolve to meet up again with next year’s Everyday Stewardship reflection for Christmas. This will be the year for which God has been waiting, right?
Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS