Leaving Room

Certainly by now, you are fully conscious of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season that is upon us. Many are trying to find time, amongst all our other holiday season activities and parties, to get shopping done and get those items checked off the list that have been requested by your friends and loved ones. And if you are even remotely close to the outdoorsman that I am, you have a wish list as well, filled a mile long with hunting, fishing, truck and outdoor gadgets that you have reminded your wife and other family members about on more than one occasion. Maybe its a brick of .22 bullets, a rangefinder with ARC technology, a new tackle organizer, ruggedized truck seat covers and mats, a dozen arrows, or a new layout blind. Or maybe it's even a larger item, such as a new shotgun, bow, rod and reel, or part for your boat. Regardless of who you are, there's that one item that you are really, really hoping someone remembers to get for you, because without it Christmas just won't seem complete. I have even determined that it is easier on my wife to order some..or many...of these gifts myself, because the 'to me, from me' gifts are almost always exactly what I wanted and rarely ever need to be returned! But is that the crux of Christmas, whether we get that 'must-have' item or not?

Luke 2:1-7 (NASB)
Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.