When this is published, Christmas of 2016 will be over. But here I sit on a Monday morning at my desk getting ready to give a final, six days before Christmas morning, and I anxiously await the coming of Christmas.

I don’t know about you, but I feel that for those two days, the world stops. People smile and are full of cheer; their laugher is contagious. People are kind to one another, families that don’t see each other all year gather, and the world seems just a little better for two days. The magic of Christmas is a beautiful thing.

I love that feeling. I remember as a kid staying awake a little longer on Christmas day. I wanted to remember, to hold onto this magic just a little longer before I drifted off. Because when I woke up, the world was slightly different. The returns had begun, the holiday decorations came down, and the glee and cheer that I saw in everyone’s face had disappeared. The magic was over.

But it truly wasn’t over. The anticipation of the coming Christ, the celebration of life and blessing from a relationship with him was just starting. Each year it was renewed with the coming of Christmas, but it never stops with the day. It is one reason I love Advent; it is four weeks set aside to celebrate the coming Messiah. It helps me focus my mind and heart on the coming weeks, to celebrate the greatest gift of all. So Merry Christmas. Enjoy the magic of the two days and the celebration during the rest of the year.