The Christmas Atmosphere

It is Christmas in the heart

that puts Christmas in the air.

~W.T. Ellis

What is the Christmas atmosphere? It is the feeling and knowing the Christmas spirit. It is seen more in our attitudes than in a colorful Christmas display. Have you ever been somewhere and the minute you walked into the door you were wrapped up into a warmth of goodness? You felt a joy, an excitement, an overwhelming welcome like a great big bear hug!! Or maybe you were overcome with a hush of holiness, a reverence, a stillness in your heart, a complete peace.... This my dear friends is what I personally have felt during Christmas. It is an atmosphere of goodwill and kindness. It is feeling the Lord's presence so strongly in my life when I have really focused on the true meaning of this season.

We get so caught up in the shopping, the decorating, baking, the forever running and doing, that we say is a part of Christmas time. I am guilty of this too. I love the shopping, finding that perfect gift for that someone special. Decorating is a passion of mine, so of course Christmas is a big deal to me. Always making sure that Christmas tree is decorated to the hilt!! But in the real scheme of things I need to always keep the REAL gift of Christmas in the forefront of it all. I want and need to create a true Christmas atmosphere, not merely in my decorations, but also in my life and in my attitude.

How easy it is to become a Scrooge or a Grinch in this day and age, especially when money is tight and nothing seems to be going the way we think it should. It is so easy to forget about Christmas when our lives are so busy that we barely have time to breath, let alone hang a stocking. Christmas is often times dismissed all together when a person is caught up in depression, lonliness, personal problems, etc... The last thing that person wants to do is sing a Christmas carol and smile. In all these predicaments that is where the TRUE Christmas spirit is desperately needed. So I believe atmosphere can be the threshold in making all the difference in some one's life.

If a person sees, feels, is made to be a part of a little joy, a little peace, even a little excitement, the gift of Hope is given to that person. We often talk and sing about this being a time of peace, good will towards men, joy to the world, etc... But it is also where Faith, Love, and Hope can be found.. If this is true in your life as I know it to be in mine, I encourage you to show it to others. Have a True Christmas atmosphere, not only in your decorations, but in your expression of life. Let the Christmas Spirit sing out in a loud voice in all that you do!! Really we should do this everyday of our lives, not just in the holiday season. Thinking of Christ Jesus, He wasn't born for us to have a holiday. He was born into this world to save us, to give us new life, to give us HOPE. He is our special gift, He is Christmas, and we should celebrate HIM everyday. So just as He has given to us, we also through the atmosphere we create in our lives can give to others a gift of hope. It is that great big bear hug that I wrote about earlier that says, "welcome to my world, come stay awhile and feel a little love and joy."

Atmosphere.... Yes!, it makes all the difference in the world!

My prayer is that spirit of Christmas 

lives in each of us every single day!!

Christmas Blessings to everyone!!

~ Kelly Maria

"Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles."

~Author Unknown

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"Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind.

To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy,

is to have the real spirit of Christmas."

~Calvin Coolidge, 1927