Vassallo: What Christmas Means to Me

Oxford’s City Hall decorated with lights for the Christmas season.

I recently asked two of my closest friends, Hoppy Langley and Jim Carroll, this question with their well-thought out answers below.

Before we look at their responses, I wanted to add my own thoughts. Christmas is about the birth of Christ, period! It’s a birthday gift provided to the human race. We can all make the decision whether we wish to accept this gift or not and how best to use it in our own lives.

The spirit of Christmas goes way beyond the birth of Christ, however. It’s about living our life in serving others especially those less fortunate. It’s also about being a disciple and sharing with your friends, neighbors and even strangers why the love of Christ should be paramount in every thing you do and say.

Now for my friends’ reflections:

Hoppy Langley: “Christmas to me is about the gathering of family and friends in celebration of the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. A month long celebration, it begins the day after Thanksgiving and runs through December. It really is as Andy Williams sang, ‘the most wonderful time of the year.'”

Jim Carroll: “Thomas Jefferson said, ‘The God that created the Universe sent Jesus in the form of a master workman, whose system of morality was the most benevolent and sublime…ever taught and consequently, more perfect than those of any of the ancient philosophers.’ Christmas celebrates his birth into mankind, proving to me that God will never abandon his human creations.

My wish is that eventually Christmas will totally separate itself from New Year’s in order that we Christians can solely focus on what is most important in our lives opposed to all that is far secondary. Happy Holidays is not an acceptable substitution for Merry Christmas!

Steve Vassallo is a HottyToddy.com contributor. Steve writes on Ole Miss athletics, Oxford business, politics and other subjects. He is an Ole Miss grad and former radio announcer for the basketball team. Currently, Steve is a highly successful leader in the real estate business who lives in Oxford with his wife Rosie. You can contact Steve at sovassallo@gmail.com or call him at 985-852-7745.

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