When this is published, there will be just five days left to Christmas day.

I am sure everyone has their plans laid out for the holidays, or least have a rough outline of what they’re going to be doing.

Spending time with friends and family usually tops the list of Christmas activities with some travel often involved, so stay safe out there. In 2012, AAA projected that over 93 million people traveled during that time of the year. During this 10-to 17-day holiday period, traveling spikes up by 23 percent compared to the rest of the year. Christmas and New Year’s fall on different days of the week each year, but traveling tends to be concentrated around the weekends, regardless.

Gift giving and exchanging always plays a pivotal role in the festivities. Normally, my wife puts our little tree up the day after Thanksgiving. It’s composed of mostly hand-made ornaments from my Aunt Helen who passed away years ago, plus we added one each year for something important. There are ornaments for each of the three children, ornaments those children made, hockey and Star Trek ornaments from – you guessed it – yours truly. The tree didn’t get put up this year until this past Wednesday. I wasn’t sure that I could handle putting it up with my wife passing away this month, but I did it for the kids and grandkids and, to be honest, for me too. It reminds me of my wife and that’s a good thing.

Saving the best for last, it is the time to celebrate the Savior Jesus and his life and what it means to those who are of the faith, which includes myself.

I received a letter from a fellow church member after my wife’s passing that made me cry, which was a perspective from her point of view of her first Christmas in heaven. It went on to say how she is happy and with Jesus and I should feel comforted from it. I understood but still couldn’t help asking the why question.

Anyhow, one thing I do know is I did spend every minute I could with my wife while she was with me, a fact I am now glad I did. She would get on me about getting a hobby or some friends to hang out with and I always told her that she was all I needed.

Moments in time. That’s what we all share from second-to-second and we always go around thinking there are more to come. More moments, more money, more good times, more opportunities for making decisions. Longevity is something we are not guaranteed in this life however.

For everyone out there celebrating Christmas this year, enjoy each moment like it’s the once-in-a-lifetime moment it really is. That’s what we’ve got you know, moment to moment. Don’t wait to decide what you want to do with yours. Are you a religious person, concerned with what happens when you die?

That’s really what Christmas is all about and it only takes a moment to say to Jesus, “I believe in you; please save me.” You can do it in your heart. He can hear you.

Contact Steve Warner at           

news@smithvillereview.com