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A few years after I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mum taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger ..... he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries, and comedies. If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future!

He took my family to the football and cricket. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind. Sometimes, Mum would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home ... not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.

My dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked ... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifteen years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. If you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?

We just call him, 'TV.'

The true meaning of Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ and the act of love for our fellow man. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not parish but have eternal life." John 3:16-17. Christmas is a joyous time! It is a time of giving. It is a time of fellowship and devotion.

It is sad that Christmas is more a commercial enterprise than a religious observance. For most people, Jesus isn’t the reason for the season, buying and receiving consumer goods is.

Every year we have a mad rush to get to the stores first to buy whatever hot items are on sale. I believe it was last year when an employee at a Wal-Mart died and a woman miscarried when the doors to the store opened. The man that died was trampled when hundreds of shoppers smashed through the doors in a mad rush. You hear about fights breaking out in parking lots when someone took a spot that another was waiting for. People are known to fight for a popular gift if it's the last item on the shelf. Tempers flare as people prepare for Christmas, but yet the true meaning of Christmas should be about loving our fellow man--not hurting them. Christmas is not the time for impressing people. It is not the time to buy the hottest items. It is not the time to run someone over to get to the item before they do or steal it out of their hands just because you are stronger. This is the time to reflect on your life, to honor Jesus for whom this holiday was named.

Why don't we sit back, relax and find out what Christmas should mean to us. According to the Bible, the first Christmas angel appeared to Mary and told her that she would have a son called Jesus. Joseph was also visited by a Christmas angel who told him what his role in this world-changing event would be. When the Child was born, angels sang, a bright star lit up the eastern sky, and shepherds followed that star and came to see baby Jesus. They gave Him valuable and precious gifts to honor a king. Why would they do this? Because the Child was to be our Savior, Jesus the Christ. We have lost track of the most precious reason for this season. Perhaps this year we could stop and remember why we are actually celebrating Christmas. For just one precious bit of time, maybe we could take the time to thank the Lord for what He has done for us because it really is HIS birthday. Just one brief moment to tell Him we love Him since the season is all about LOVE and PEACE.

Have you ever wondered what the differences you made during your life are and how many lives you have touched? Perhaps if we think about this, at least during Christmas, we would all become better human beings and we would remember the reason for the season and carry it through the year.

Share your love with others and remember the reason for celebrating Christmas. Give thanks for the birth of Christ our Lord and love your fellow man. May the spirit of Christmas be in your heart and soul and carry you through any adversities that are in your life. Happy Birthday Jesus and Merry Christmas my readers, friends and family - I love you one and all!