Christmas Is A Promise (Pack Of 25)

Rummaging through our garage one December afternoon, I sniffed the unmistakable fragrance of new leather. My seven-year-old fingers found it behind a box?a new pony bridle.From that very moment, Santa Claus was dethroned from my childhood. No more leaving milk and cookies on the mantelpiece on Christmas Eve. No more pleading letters to the North Pole. No more sugar and carrots for the reindeer. I was relieved. Something deep down had told me that it was all a ploy, anyway. From then on, December 25th carried a new meaning. It was a special day? a holy day. The candlelight service on Christmas Eve at church had a new and deeper meaning. Almost overnight, Christmas Eve became one of those ?silent nights? to ponder the miracle of Jesus.And ponder I did, long and earnest. But always, as I sat back into the pew, I expected something else to happen?something to fill the longing inside of me. I know now that I was deep into a Christmas longing. It?s a longing each of us senses this time of year?especially when we listen to the child inside of us. It?s a desire to be home, to belong, to find fulfillment, complete and eternal. Christmas is an invitation to a celebration yet to happen.On this side of eternity, Christmas is a promise. The Savior brings inner peace to those who receive him. But the story is not finished until there is peace in our world.Every Christmas is still a ?turning of the page&