Ah, Christmas. It's just around the corner and every part of me is beginning to feel the excitement. After all, there's something about this season that isn't present in quite the same way at any other time of the year. As has become my habit, I've decided to create a series of seasonal greetings rather than attempting to squash my thoughts on this blessed season into a single article. I've titled the series The Senses of Christmas.
First, there are the smells. The aroma of gingerbread cookies and our family's German speciality, Kaffee Torte, incite drooling even more quickly than that of roasting turkey.
Next, there are the sounds of Christmas: the crackle of wrapping paper and the sound of children practicing for various concerts. And, who can deny that a child's laughter is unique when filtered through scarves and mitts and winter suits.
Christmas even feels special. There's the softness of new plush toys purchased for the grandchildren, the thrill of satin and lace on a special outfit and the affectionate embrace of loved ones, each one exemplifying the warmth of the season.
As much as we might complain about the cold, those living in warmer climes know nothing of the magic that descends with the snow…although I must admit that dwellers on the West Coast are usually less enthusiastic about the white stuff.
Even without snow, however, but most especially with the white stuff, there's something near magic about lights twinkling in the dark. Superseding these four, sight, sound, feeling and hearing, is the sense of taste that comes with the season. For starters there's the tang of evergreen and cranberry.
But it's the splendour of His coming that's the essence of Christmas for me. You, too?
"And she will bring forth a Son and you shall call His name, Jesus…." (Matt. 1:21)
