Tuesday, December 5: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
Even though it has been many years since I was a child, trying desperately to fall asleep on Christmas Eve, I still remember the anticipation and excitement! Bunking in a room with my older sister, we would “accidentally” stay up way too late, even with our parents urging us to fall asleep because “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”! We couldn’t help but giggle and whisper last minute Christmas present wishes to each other! “Do you think he’ll bring me a guitar? I KNOW I wrote him for one!” Eventually, we would drift off to sleep, dreaming of the wonders that would be waiting for us on Christmas morning. We were never disappointed. Even if we didn’t get exactly the presents we wished for, we always enjoyed what we had. Sometimes, it was even better than we had expected!
The song, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” still elicits the same anticipation, joy, and excitement when I hear it. Now, however, the meaning of Christmas is clearer to me. My Christmas anticipation is centered around spending special time with family and friends, seeing kindness in a stranger’s eyes, and knowing that Jesus died for me, he will return one day, and a new paradise is awaiting us.
We have no way of knowing exactly what paradise is waiting for us, but we can rest assured that, like “Santa’s gifts” that may not be what we expected, it will be better than we could possibly imagine!