As long as I can remember, Christmas has always been my favorite season.  As a child, our home was filled with laughter and love and smelled of the sweets of many cakes and pies that Mama baked.  The table and side tables were filled with several different varieties of sweets ranging from tea cakes to gingerbread to apple and sweet potato pies.  In addition, there were the huge boxes filled with red-ripe apples, huge oranges and various nuts in glass bowls.  Cases of soda pop sit on the floor and I'd pick out my alloted three, watching daily to make sure no one had mistakenly laid hands on mine.  At school, we'd happily cheered when the train carrying Santa Claus passed through town and he waived at us.  This made us feel quite special and we knew we'd be getting wonderful toys. 

It was nearly impossible to go to sleep, the excitement of Christmas was almost too much for a youngster to bear.   The thing that weighed heavily on our minds was that Santa would sprinkle pepper in our eyes should he catch us awake and there'd be no toys for us.  Therefore, we forced our eyes closed until sleep came to visit.  And, we were never dissappointed the next morning.  I never understood how Mama and Daddy were up and cheery before we went to sleep and up and cherrier the following morning.  Did they not need sleep on Christmas Eve?  We were never disappointed on Christmas morning.  Santa had delivered.

Years passed before I realized that Santa Claus was fictional, that my toys, gifts and clothing had come from Mama and Daddy.  I don't recall being too disappointed--after all, my gifts were real.  The cakes, pies and fruits were real--their taste still sweet and delicious.  Then, the realization came that Christmas was not about sweets and toys.  Christmas is the birthday of Jesus, the Christ.  Christmas represents the greatest gift ever given--the gift of salvation, of forgiveness of sin, from the True and Living God to man. 

Christmas is still my favorite season.  Viewing it through eyes of an adult rather than eyes of a child allows me to appreciate it more.  My gifts to my children and others reflects the love I feel for them; but, they can never compare to the gift Jesus gave to the world.