15 Days Until Christmas!
Song: “O Little Town of Bethlehem” by Sarah McLachlan
Christmas Album: “Oh For Joy,” by David Crowder Band
Christmas DVD: “The Muppet Christmas Carol”
Netflix Movie: “Falling For Christmas”
Amazon Prime Movie: “Christmas in Vermont”
Disney+ Movie: “The Christmas Star”
Hulu Movie: “Same Time, Next Christmas”
HBO Max Movie: “One Delicious Christmas”
Hallmark Movie: “The Santa Summit”
On TV:
New Programming in Bold
• “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” 5:40 p.m., Freeform
• “There’s No Place Like Christmas,” 6 p.m., GAC
• “Time For Him to Come Home for Christmas,” 6 p.m., Hallmark
• “Entertaining Christmas,” 6 p.m., Hallmark Drama
• “Karen Kingsbury’s Maggie’s Christmas Miracle,” 6 p.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “Red One,” 8 p.m., NBC
• “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer,” 8 p.m., CW
• “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” 8 p.m., AMC
• “Home Sweet Christmas,” 8 p.m., GAC
• “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story,” 8 p.m., Hallmark
• “The Santa Stakeout,” 8 p.m., Hallmark Drama
• “My Christmas Family Tree,” 8 p.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000),” 8:20 p.m., Freeform
• “Destined 2: Christmas Once More,” 10 p.m., GAC
• “Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story,” 10 p.m., Hallmark
• “Five More Minutes: Moments Like These,” 10 p.m., Hallmark Mystery
• “Scrooged,” 10:15 p.m., AMC
Recipe: Mulled Cider
Quick Thought for Christmas
Read
Galatians 4:1-7
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.“
Galatians 4:4-5
Reflect
Izzy simply couldn’t wait for Christmas. All year long, she bugged her Dad, begging him to speed up Christmas and get it here quickly. “How long do I have to wait?” she pleaded, over and over.
“Christmas is coming soon enough,” his Dad told him. “Just be patient.”
Patience, of course, had its limits. After all, she only wanted one thing for Christmas. Most kids had lists a mile long. Izzy just had the one thing – an enormous doll house. Certainly, her folks could make an exception and get it here sooner than December 25.
She couldn’t see that her father had a plan. Izzy’s Dad had gotten the dollhouse even before his daughter had started asking for it, and he knew exactly when he wanted to give it to her – Christmas Eve. He would slip it simply into the house without a lot of fanfare and place it unwrapped in the living room. And in spite of Izzy’s pleas, that’s just what he did. Very carefully, her Dad assembled the dollhouse on the dining table and left it there for her to see as soon as she came home.
After church on Christmas Eve, Izzy arrived and pleaded once more, “Is it time?” She looked around the living room and saw wrapped presents under the tree. She kept running around, looking behind and under everything. But Izzy couldn’t see that the one thing she had asked for — a four-foot dollhouse — was sitting in the middle of the dining table, right in front of her.
He has been with us now for more than 2,000 years, and still, too many people don’t recognize Him, even though He’s standing right in front of them. Don’t make that mistake this Christmas. Instead of running around and filling your season with busyness, you can find true fulfillment by looking in the one direction that will fulfill you – Jesus Christ.
Reflection copyright © 2024 by Doug DeBolt.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
