Do you know how many days there are until Christmas?  Fourty-seven!  Does that stress you out our does it excite you?  If I’m honest, I’d say I’m a little stressed by it but very excited.  I love Christmas time.  I do wish, however, that retailers wouldn’t rush things, putting out Christmas things before Halloween even arrives.  Thanksgiving is almost completely overlooked because of the rush to push the Christmas season into the forefront of everyone’s mind. 
My daughter and I were watching television yesterday and saw a commercial for Christmas television specials already.  She made a comment I’m still thinking about, “I love Christmas time.  While I wish they wouldn’t start celebrating it so early, I’m kind of glad they do because people are a lot nicer.  Even mean people seem nice at Christmas time.” Why is that? Why do people, “even mean people,” seem to be kinder to one another around Christmas?
Is it because deep inside of each of us, we want the message delivered by the angels to be for us?  “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” ]Luke 2:10-14]. Could it be the hollow place in our hearts, set apart for Jesus, is crying out to Him?
I’m curious.  Why do you think people are nicer around Christmas? We don’t see the same thing on the Fourth of July, Labor Day, or Halloween? What makes Christmas so different?  Why does it make people act different?  Share your thoughts.