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When I was growing up, the family rule was that our Christmas tree had to be down by New Year’s Day. As a child, I sang about the 12 days of Christmas, but I wondered just when they were. Now I like to celebrate at least through the 12th day of Christmas, which is today.

My email piled up around Christmas and New Year’s, and I didn’t read the Christmas greeting from our U.S. congressman until this past weekend. I was encouraged to know that at least this one member of Congress felt the way he did about Christmas and thought you would enjoy his Christmas email greeting, too:

Hi Neighbor,

As twenty-twenty draws to a close and families come together to safely celebrate the season, I want to take a moment to remember the true meaning of Christmas— giving thanks to God for the gift of his son Jesus Christ. Come let us adore Him on this Christmas Day, remembering what truly brings us all together: the joy brought by the birth of Christ and a renewed sense of hope. In a year marked by turmoil, uncertainty, and extreme challenges, we still have both hope and faith that our best days are still ahead.

Sharing this greeting with you reminds me of something I had meant to share with you earlier. Today, on the 12th day of Christmas, I want to share Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas message for 2020.

Queen Elizabeth with President Ronald Reagan at Windsor Castle. Courtesy National Archives.

While I am uncomfortable with her brief positive mention of the Diwali festival that Sikhs, Hindus, and Jains celebrated at Windsor Castle a few weeks ago, the core of the Queen’s message is Christian. Queen Elizabeth is a woman of deep faith in Jesus and she makes that clear in this beautiful message. I hope you have 7 and a quarter minutes to watch and listen. I pray that her message is a blessing to you, as it was to me. Our daughter shared it with us. I believe it would bless your children, too.

As Queen Elizabeth reminded us, Jesus is the Light of the world.

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying,
“I am the Light of the world;
the one who follows Me
will not walk in the darkness,
but will have the Light of life.”
John 8:12

 

 

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