Luke 2:20 “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

 The post-Christmas let down is real. Months of preparation, gift buying, and planning all culminate on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then it just feels like it’s over too soon. Family leaves, the weight gain stays, and if we are not careful discouragement can set in. But I have good news! Christmas isn’t over. In ancient times, Advent was a somber, reflective time to prepare for Christ’s coming. The waiting ended with the celebration of the Christ child, and the Feast of Christmas commenced. For twelve days Christians would celebrate all that it meant for Christ to come into the world and Christmas culminated with Epiphany, the day we remember Christ being revealed to the Gentile Magi or “Three Kings.” 

You don’t have to keep your decorations up or keep listening to carols if you don’t want to, but we should not be quick to move on from remembering what a gift Jesus was to this world. Yes we have to go back to work and get back on track with our healthy eating habits, but we need to be like the shepherds, the magi, and the other characters of the Christmas story that keep celebrating and sharing the good news of Christ means for this fallen world.