One of my fondest memories of Christmas when I was a boy was lying on the floor, leaning on my elbows, in front of the train platform under the tree. I watched endlessly as my Lionel electric trains circled the little village that was dusted with artificial snow. The lights in the houses went on and off automatically because my father set them up with a timer. It was like being transported to an idyllic world in which everything was just the way it was supposed to be.
Though on the one hand, it seemingly had little to do with a holy child being born, on the other hand it had a lot to do with it. What I mean is that the most important thing about the story of Jesus' birth is the feeling that it is divinvely intended to generate--a feeling of joy, love, peace, hope, and promise. In other words, whatever brings those feelings to any one of us in this season is like going to Bethlehem and looking into a manger and celebrating with the fullness of wonder.
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