I remember it like it was yesterday! It was Christmas Eve,
I was about 8 yrs old, I was at Midnight Mass and I didn’t want to be there!

I wanted to be at home soaking in the Christmas atmosphere. Getting ready for bed and wondering how I would EVER get to sleep….! I thought Mass was over and was itching to leave when my mammy said no. “Mass IS over but now there’ll be the procession of the infant. They will place the baby in the manger and we will queue up to say a prayer in front of the crib – THEN we can go home.”

Our church crib was amazing. It was life size crib and I was sure they were real people in it…, but I didn’t care.

I was hopping from one foot to the other, when the music changed and I could just about see a procession of people walking toward the front of the church. The choir started to sing Silent Night, Holy Night. I knew it off by heart but this time it was different. Suddenly the excitement of the man who was to come that night & leave presents was replaced with the excitement of the baby who was to be placed in a manger

“Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm all is bright”, sang the choir. I had to see what was happening so I stood on the pew. “Holy infant so tender and mild”, we all sang then as life size statue of baby Jesus was placed in the manger. We all joined the queue. As I got to the crib and I knelt down the choir sang, “Christ the Saviour is born, Christ the Saviour is born”. I was mesmerised. Right then and right there I knew it was true. I didn’t really know what a Saviour was but I knew Christ was real.

Ever since then, hearing Silent Night brings me back to that moment when Jesus introduced himself to me for the first time. And almost 15 years later I found out what a Saviour really is!

I reckon I have the best of both worlds. I still have a childlike excitement about Christmas. But now I know the true meaning. I love family and presents and celebration. And I think of the little family in Bethlehem that God used to bring the greatest gift of all to the world.

I wish you and yours a wonderful Christmas and New Year. My prayer for you is that, of all the gifts you give and receive this year, the gift of the love of Jesus will bring you great joy.