You can tell how old I am by the images I’ve chosen for favorite old Christmas movies. The one thing most of these have in common is a central character who has issues. In “A Christmas Carol,” Scrooge is a stingy, old man who has made his career the most important thing in his life. In “Home Alone,” we see a kid left behind on the family Christmas vacation. “It’s a Wonderful Life,” shows a fellow who can’t seem to make his goals come to fruition. He gives up and thinks about suicide. “A Christmas Story,” hits close to home for me, because many of the situations are so familiar. “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” we find Charlie Brown, depressed as usual, by the materialism of Christmas. His friend, Linus, reminds him why we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

All of these movies have a lot in common. We can relate to the central characters and their personal needs. We see that we don’t deserve to have the gifts we receive. We realize that we need someone other than ourselves to make things right. We find the truth that the greatest gift of all is the gift of a Messiah who would assure our heavenly destination.

Christmas can be an emotional time. We can feel lonely if a loved one has recently passed away. We miss those who can’t be with us for the holidays. We long for the good old days. We are inspired by the Christmas message. We sing songs praising a newborn baby who is truly the Son of God. We search for just the right gift and discover it isn’t. Some will become engaged to the one they want to spend the rest of their lives with. We decorate our homes only to remove the trimmings shortly after the holiday is over. We sometimes become so focused on the material things of Christmas that we miss the true joy that we should feel thinking of a tiny baby in a manger – true God and true man – conceived by the Holy Spirit – born to a virgin. The seemingly insignificant little boy was born in poverty, yet He was there when the earth was formed.

These old movies might jerk a tear or two from our eyes because they touch a personal nerve. The true joy of this entire season is caused by God’s unconditional love for mankind. He promised to send a Savior to redeem us from the sting of death. He promised to give eternal life to those who believe in Him. He promised to clean the slate of sin. He promised to return to us on the last day of this world’s existence. God never fails to keep His promises. That’s something to rejoice about!