Putting Away Christmas

I do a lot of thinking on my drive to and from work. 

That can be a good thing, but also a bad thing. 

One thing I have thought a lot about this year is how Christmas truly doesn't start until Christmas Day. 
There are twelve days of Christmas and the first is on Christmas Day.  Growing up we did not take down our tree until the 6th, and sometimes a few days after that. 

I hear so many people saying Christmas is over.  But it has just started! 

And then I got to thinking about those that take down their Christmas the day of Christmas or the day after, and I am not bashing or saying bad about anyone, and I know people who put up their Christmas at the first of November, so in that case I would be ready to put it all away on the day after Christmas. 

But what I wondered was when we put away all of our Christmas, are we also putting away our love for Christ.  We build up during Advent (which is actually the time before Christmas Day), and we light our Advent candles at church, we talk about the birth of Christ and the angels and the wise men coming to visit, but after Christmas, we seem to put all of that away also.  Our cheer is gone, our getting together with family is done, our diets start, our resolutions are made (which I don't think I kept a single one of mine from this past year). 

I decided to do an Advent devotional this year, and it really opened my eyes to what Christmas is really truly celebrating.  I have always known it was Jesus' birthday, and why we celebrate, but this year it was different.  It was more meaningful.  It makes me want to study the Bible A LOT more.  I am so intrigued by it all.  I don't want to put away Christmas because I feel like we will forget.  Not really forget, but you know what I mean. 

I had a really good point to all of this, and of course it will hit me when I am not at my computer, but I guess what I want to say is that Christmas is not over.  We should really celebrate Christmas all year long because if it were not for Christmas, we would not have a Saviour! 

There is a video somewhere that goes into detail about what the 12 Days of Christmas song really meant, and I will find it one day again.  Just wish we could have Christmas spirit all the time.  Now the Christmas grumpiness and car honking can go away for good, but we should spread cheer all the time.

I will stop my rambling now.