Just about the time Americans have devoured the last Thanksgiving turkey leftovers, sad-faced TV newscasters tell them that it "looks like a bad Christmas" this year. What they mean is that sales in retail stores may be down during the upcoming shopping season. And that makes for a "bad" Christmas.

We understand why this is news. Many companies need a year-end consumer spending frenzy to stay afloat financially. Yet there's something in me that doesn't like people talking about a "bad" Christmas, even when it refers to poor retail sales. How can the celebration of the birth of the Messiah, the Savior of the world, ever be bad?

Let's look at that familiar story again. In the months before Jesus was born, Mary ventured to a nearby town to visit her relative Elizabeth, who also was expecting a child. As soon as Mary spoke, the baby in Elizabeth's womb leaped for joy (Luke 1:44). There was excitement in the air for those who knew the true identity of Mary's baby.

Let's recapture that joyous excitement by refocusing our attention on the event we celebrate, rather than on the celebration of the event. It is Jesus' birth we are honoring, and that always makes for a good Christmas.  — Dave Branon