All that Preparation for One Day

It seems like Christmas takes forever to get here. The holiday ads start earlier every year, so early that I would not be surprised to see the first ad for Christmas on February 15th. I have chosen this date because it would be in poor taste to start advertising the festive season before the sweetheart season is over!

Even if you ignore the commercial signals of the coming gift hunting season (another hunting season that requires tags for everything you get), you can hardly avoid the tasks that must be completed in preparation for the increase of visitors that are part and parcel of the most wonderful time of the year.

Weeks and weeks of preparation and then it’s over.

Your memory of Christmas is a mixture of cooking, baking and cleaning as you prepare, followed by more cleaning as you try to recover with a moment or two of fun, laughter and family. Merry Christmas is replaced with Happy New Year, followed by back to work and the regular routine. It is all over and often not soon enough. Work seems like a vacation with only the leftovers to remind you that you pulled it off again this year. You are left wondering, “why do we do this every year?”

What Christmas Means to Me

Smiling faces

Fireplaces

Warm unto their glow

Snowball fights

And starlit nights

And playing in the snow

Fun filled season

For what reason

Do I find myself

Wondering what it is all about?

Thoughts of angels on that blessed day

Eight tiny reindeer pulling on a sleigh

Wisemen and shepherds

Decorations on a tree

Seems like Christmas should mean more to me

Presents wrapped

I am trapped

By thoughts of what it means

A newborn king

The carols I sing

Get lost in all my dreams

Dreams of bows

‘Cause Santa knows

That I’ve been good this year

I’m caught up in the fun of Christmas cheer

Thoughts of angels on that blessed day

Eight tiny reindeer pulling on a sleigh

Wisemen and shepherds

Decorations on a tree

Seems like Christmas should mean more to me

I find

Some private time

And I begin to pray

Lord show me the true meaning

Of your birth and Christmas Day

Born to die

And I cry

Lord forgive me

For forgetting what Christmas should be

Thoughts of angels on that blessed day

The savour born my debt to pay

Wisemen and shepherds show me how to treat the king

That’s why Christmas should mean everything*

It’s Christmas but Easter is coming!

*What Christmas Means to Me ©1996 Words and Music by J David Peever

15 comments

  4. The lyrics of your song are captivating and awfully beautiful. It draws you in with the innocence of a child’s Christmas to the true meaning of the season.
    I like the change, “Lord show me the true meaning, Of Your birth AND Christmas Day”. The ‘and’ differentiate between the two. I definitely can relate, can’t wait to hear the music accompanying it, so perfect for this time of year, [hint-hint 🙂 ].

    Christmas day to me, is not the true birth of the baby Jesus. There’s too many factors that donot correlate, for one the state of Israel experiences snow this time of year, thereby the sheep wouldn’t be out grazing the fields. The circumstances of His birth donot relate with the change of the event. Another is the history of Constantine, who believed to be the first Roman Christian and changed the date to the 25th, then Pope Julius a few yrs later officially declared it so. This has been a tradition passed down through the centuries and universally accepted today as His birth.
    Please don’t get me wrong, the celebration of hope and good will towards men in believing in their hearts, makes the season alive and in that spirit it’s worth celebrating. It’s more a child’s view of Christmas and all it’s warm trappings that make the season beautiful. And like your song, at least to me, says it well. Remembering the gift of salvation is what needs to be imprinted in our hearts.
    Thank you for sharing. God bless and Happy New Year!

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  6. Grateful for your reminder of what Christmas means and since God didn’t say He was born Dec 25 tells me I want to be where He wants. Love the lyrics look forward to the tune! It will be a hit for sure!

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    1. Thank you for your kind words

      When I was first working out the lyrics I had

      “Lord show me the true meaning
      Of your birth on Christmas Day”

      all thought his would pass for many I wanted the tradition of Christmas being a birthday celebration but at the same time not play into any misunderstanding that it was the actual birthday so it changed to

      “Lord show me the true meaning
      Of your birth and Christmas Day”

      I love having a time to celebrate our saviour’s birth and a separate time to remember His death but the two must remain inseparable in their meaning

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