Where are you Christmas?

We decorated the house, twinkling white lights decorate the front porch. Green wreaths with bright, Christmas red ribbons adorn the windows. There was some discussion of mounting red lights on the garage roof: "OH" "IO"... but I think we'll wait for a national championship season to do that. :)

Inside our home, the Christmas trees are up. Yes, plural. We have two, one in the front living room - fancy with white lights, gold and crimson and crystal ornaments. One in the family room, with white lights - for my sanity - and lots and lots of special ornaments we've collected and/or made through the years.

I even did some shopping on black Friday - which I never do. AND those gifts are wrapped, tucked away in the closet waiting for the big day to arrive... (Only because our sons babysit their little sister when we have to be away, and we hope that wrapping the gifts cuts the temptation to peek... not because I'm all that organized!)

And, of course, we've already watched some sappy Christmas movies and listened to carols - singing a few here and there - in the car. It seems, Christmas is on its way.

But, I don't really feel like it's Christmas yet. Not because it's sunny and 70 degrees outside (Love livin' in the south!!!!). We just haven't started focusing on what really matters yet. The part of Christmas that makes my heart sing - the real meaning of Christmas.

Our church has an angel tree ministry, each year providing gifts to school kids throughout our community when they might not otherwise have any Christmas at all. It kicked off this weekend, hundreds of angels placed lovingly on our church Christmas tree, representing wishes and needs of these special kids. Christmas begins when we do our angel tree shopping, the kids venturing into the store with me to pick out gifts for the child whose tag they carry.

I love watching my oldest son scrutinize clothing racks for clothes appropriate and cool enough to consider as a blessing. My heart melts each year when my younger son chooses, without fail, the boy whose tag says "football." He can't imagine a kid wanting a football and not having one. And my daughter, she's our spiritual warrior, insisting on bows and frilly socks to go with the girly girl outfit she always picks out AND that we pray for the little girl who will get those clothes.

When we walk into church next weekend with our special gifts, wrapped in colorful paper and finished with a prayer, Christmas will finally have come. After all, Christmas isn't about the gifts we receive, but about the love we share.

God gave us a special gift that first Christmas day, a gift of pure, unselfish love in His Son, Jesus. Angel tree allows our family the opportunity to offer a small bit of that love to someone who really needs it this year. We pray for the families our angels represent, that they will know that Jesus - the real meaning of Christmas - loves them.