Every year we read the story about how Jesus came to this earth. To me that is the most important reason to celebrate Christmas. God coming to this earth to be among us, think about that…and coming into such humble surroundings, so that a lot of people in this world can relate to him. It looks so romantic, born in a stable, laying on hay, nestled among animals. Actually it’s not! It’s quite loud and itchy and scratchy…I once spend a night in a stable while bike riding through Ireland. I was a teenager and didn’t have enough money to even stay in Youth Hostels. So me and my best friend knocked on the incredibly friendly Irish people’s doors and asked if we could sleep on their porches. One person had a stable he offered us instead. We thought, why not, if Jesus could do it, so could we. It would be an incredible spiritual experience. Well, where there are animals, there are pesky flies and flees, or whatever makes you itchy. The straw is nowhere near soft, either. The whole place stinks. And animals wake up bright and early and get really noisy. It was a really bad night! But I cherish the memory and the reminder that Jesus truly dwelled among us.
-Sofija