Why Christmas (and not Easter)

As Christians, we have two major holidays that we celebrate each year, most commonly referred to as the birth of Christ and the resurrection of Christ. But it's obvious that one is vastly more popular than the other.

I'm not going to lie...I prefer Christmas. But so often, I've heard people say that Easter (or Resurrection Sunday) should be the bigger holiday. I was pondering this the other day, and I disagree.

While the resurrection gives us every hope we have, it was the end of the journey. Christmas, however, celebrates not just the birth of Jesus, but the life of Jesus. Without the perfect life lived in our place, we would have nothing. What I think is so special about Christmas is that we reflect on and celebrate not only the death and resurrection of Jesus, but the very fact that He came to earth at all. We celebrate the birthplace of hope, the moment the darkness was shattered and time was changed because God became man and came to dwell among us. But in so doing, we also celebrate what His death and resurrection mean to us. I guess what I'm saying is this--Christmas looks at the whole picture through the eyes of joyful expectation and hope. And that is why I love it so much.