Baby, it's cold outside.

Christmas.  The one word that can bring so much joy and excitement to a child's face and at the same time, incredible angst to the countenances of certain adults.  Why is it that a time of year that always brought such happiness and warm feelings can turn into something that can go so far as to even strike fear into the hearts of some?  This is obviously not true for everyone; some people are able to maintain that childlike joy throughout their adult lives.  However, for others, Christmastime is a source of great anxiety.

What is it that gets people so worked up?  Especially recently, with the economy in its dire state, many people worry about how much money they can afford to spend and realize that they will probably end up in debt if they spend as much as they usually do.  People also tend to get stressed out about seeing family around the holidays, and many times, with good reason.

Most of the time, these reasons for not enjoying Christmas as much as one should are due to the fact that people lose sight of the reason for the season, that is, Jesus Christ and His birth here on earth.  Even those who refuse to believe that Jesus is the reason for our celebration should, at the very least, be able to see that Christmas is a time to enjoy together with one's family and friends, and not for worrying about how much money one spent or how annoying the in-laws can be.

If only everyone could remember how happy that first snow made them feel as a kid.  Or how every kid feels when they wake up like a shot on Christmas morning to go run downstairs and count all the presents under the tree, trying to figure out what's in all the beautifully wrapped boxes.  If only we could all remember that it's about Jesus first, and then family and friends.  If only we could all just relax and let Christmas be the truly amazing time that it is meant to be, the world could be just a little bit happier this time of year.