JAMESWATKINS.COM

Welcome to some of my favorite Christmas essays.

THE 365 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
No, these aren’t additional verses of that already-too-long song, but an opportunity to experience the love, joy and peace of Christmas throughout the entire year. And in a Leap Year, 365 days!

THE CHRISTMAS STORY IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
The three gospel accounts harmonized into one complete story

HAVE YOURSELF AN INTROVERTED CHRISTMAS

It’s not that we hate Christmas and all the Whos in Whoville. It’s simply that the holiday activities tend to suck us as dry as a year-old fruit cake.

HOW CHRISTMAS SAVED A ‘GRINCH’
Walmart’s decorations had been up since October, the Sunday school program was history, the Advent candles were burned to stubs, and all the angel hair was finally vacuumed up. But I hadn’t felt any change! Gasp! Had I become a Scrooge at the tender age of 16?!

TOP TEN POLITICALLY-CORRECT HOLIDAY SONGS
At the risk of coming across as The Grinch,” Ebenezer Scrooge, and Henry Potter all gift-wrapped into one big “Humbug,” I’d like to propose putting some P.C. in our Christmas celebration. But before you click BACK, let me change the meaning of P.C. to “Purposeful Concession.”

YES, VIRGINIA, HERE’S THE REAL ST. NICK
The real St. Nicholas was born in A.D. 245 in the warm, sunny town of Patara, Turkey, on the Mediterranean Sea—not the North Pole. And this gift-giver spent more time in jail than at the mall. The jolly old jailbird goes by several aliases including Kriss Kringle, Hoteiosho, Sinterklass, Pere Noel, Sancte Claus, and Father Christmas.

And for daily Ho!Ho! Hope&Humor: Facebook and Instagram.

Praying you have a very meaningful Christmas!