The older I get, the less Christmas is about stuff. I remember when all I could think about on Christmas Eve was opening all those presents. It was even more important to me than food (and that’s really saying something).

But it seems lately, I really cherish the people more than the presents. Really, of all the gifts I ever received, I probably still have 1%. What I have more than anything I unwrapped are memories. I have pictures in my mind of all the people that I’d see every Christmas. A lot of those aren’t here anymore, but their memories still are.

Of course, the greatest gift I still have is my salvation. That is one present that grows sweeter as I grow older. Most gifts didn’t hold my interest for very long. It saddens me to think that a lot of them ended up in a closet or in a yard sale or donated to Goodwill after people went through all that trouble to pick them out for me. But that’s how this earthly life is in a lot of ways.

This year, I’m thankful for all my family and friends. I’m thankful for my church family and what we’re doing in our new building. I’m thankful for a roof over my head and clothes on my back and good meals set before me. I am very blessed, even if I didn’t get one single solitary present for Christmas (and believe me, I did).

Christmas is more than packages and decorations and tinsel and parties. Christmas is the people around you and the love between you. Christmas is how God saw lost sheep away from the fold and became the Good Shepherd to find us and lead us back home. Christmas is Jesus.