I love, love, love Christmastime. The music, lights, shopping, wrapping paper, movies, food, church services, advent calendars, family gatherings, the feeling you get on Christmas morning.

I really love Christmastime.

Really, really love it.

Always have and always will. And yeah, I love the commercialization of it. Most people would be lying if they said they didn't have some appreciation of this phenomenon. It makes it easy to find Christmas movies on TV. It's a breeze finding Christmas treats at the grocery store. In some small way, it generates the Christmas spirit. And I love it.

Australia definitely celebrates the holiday, and everything from fancy restaurants to the petrol stations have some form of Christmas decor. But I have to admit that this year, I'm missing out on some of the Christmas spirit. It's been more difficult to find beloved Christmas movies on TV (and I'm guessing there isn't a 24 hour marathon of A Christmas Story during the holiday.) I haven't been able to find all the items needed to recreate the Christmas dinner we're accustomed to (grilled shrimp on the barbie just isn't the same.) And of course, we'll be thousands and thousands of miles away from our family.

With the recent move, Kyle and I have even opted out of Christmas gifts this year. This is something we said we wouldn't ever do, because we do love picking out that perfect gift for each other. But with the move, and the subsequent minimizing of our household, we are so over having so much stuff, because any gift falls into one of three categories right now: pack it up, put in storage, or donate it to someone else.

So, Christmas is going to be different this year. But hopefully I'll love it just as much. Because while I might be missing out on some of the over-indulgent, commercialized aspects of it, it's bringing us back to the basics. Back to the reason for celebration - that joy and hope returned to a world of brokenness and despair. This is the beautiful message that we get to absorb over the next few days.

When we sit down at our two-person Christmas dinner, we'll offer up words of thanks and praise for the gift of true life. When we FaceTime with our families on Christmas, we'll be grateful for the bonds that tie us together in His Kingdom. 

And when I wake up on Christmas morning, I'll joyfully greet the only gift that I need: the hope and wellspring that is Jesus.