By Tika Bujiashvili

‘I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.’

Merry Christmas! The traditional greeting is uttered countless times on Christmas Day, on January 7 in Georgia. But what does the phrase mean to you?

Yet, Christmas can be a season of great joy. It is a time of God showing His great love for us. It can be a time of healing and renewed strength. You see, Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of the Christ. God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to be born. His birth brought great joy to the world. Shepherds, wise men, and angels all shared the excitement of this great event. They knew this was not ordinary child. The prophets had told of His coming hundreds of years before. The star stopped over Bethlehem just to mark the way for those who were looking for this special child.

For most families in Georgia Christmas is a time to gather and create new memories to hold dear to their hearts. In recalling past holidays, three words come to your mind: faith, hope and love. The faith, that there is a higher power who watches over you each and every day. The hope of a better today and tomorrow and the love of family and good friends that makes you prepare a good meal. These three emotions are the reasons that this particular time of year fills your heart with such magic.

In this lifetime, I have learned that Christmas magic is powerful, but the power in our hearts is even more magical. Our ability to love one another, to renew our faith and bring hope into our lives and the lives of others, are the greatest of gifts to bestow and receive. Christmas is indeed a time for sharing in gift giving and celebrating, too. And yet, the greatest gifts are not those wrapped in fine papers or dressed in colorful bows. They are those given with an open heart, one wrapped in the lovely ribbons of faith, hope, and love.

Charles Dickens in his classic tale A Christmas Carol says: ‘I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.’ These are the words of wisdom that should be echoed on this day and all the days yet to be.

See also: christmas celebration