It's Christmas Time!

I have been told that my blog is all about food.

NOT! Not true at all! Today, there will be no food. Only good news. Very good news.

When I was in the Philippines in mid-November, I stepped into the SMC Student Center in Dumaguete one afternoon and found some of the volunteer student workers busy setting up the Christmas tree and decorations.Eh? It's only November! They good-naturedly reminded me that in the Philippines, Christmas starts in the "ber" months. That means, SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER, DecemBER... so they were not too early, in fact, they were a bit late.

Oh, Christmas for four whole months? How fun! I supposed, if celebrating Christmas for so many people is all about over-eating and getting immensely drunk and merry revelling in all hours of the day and night, then four months might not even be enough.

Oops, am I talking about food again. !!! Anyway, imagine having some wonderful Christmas celebration hanging out with friends till the wee hours, getting drunk and very very happy indeed, and then, what happens the next day? A hangover... yeah right, but what else happens? The happy happy feelings, the friends, the wine and the turkey, where did they all go? Truth is, many folk have plenty of merry making during Christmas time, and the next day, wake up alone and miserable and depressed. Even unwrapping the colorful boxes of Christmas presents to find stuff inside you do not need or want... (where's that iPad I've been begging for...!!) There is a hole in your heart that cannot be filled by all the merry trappings of Christmas. It can only be filled by The Person for whom Christmas ever existed in the first place. Jesus Christ.

So, whether you have your merriment for one Christmas Day, or four months of insane partying... do pause and think about the Good News that was given to you and I, on Christmas Day. A baby born one blessed morn, gave us the Greatest Gift of all, the Gift of eternal life.Blessed Christmas!And these funny looking people - they are the kids at the children's home in Cambodia, also say Blessed Christmas! Don't get too merry!