The joy of Christmas is, at the heart of it, the joy of life. On Christmas Day we celebrate the gift of life. The brightly colored packages and their contents are mere tokens. The love in which they are given is what brings them their meaning.

And so too with the precious gift of life. The outward appearances and material manifestations are not what really count. They will all too soon rust and fade and crumble. What will last is the love we give, and the love we live, in each moment, in each day, as the years go by.