It’s hard to believe — just five more days until Christmas.

Years ago, our family started celebrating Christmas on a day besides Dec. 25, and next Tuesday is that day this year.

We have nothing against Dec. 25. In fact, we also celebrate with extended family on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day. But we devote our off-Christmas celebration exclusively to the Christ child (who, by the way, is the same Christ who grew up in faithful obedience to the heavenly Father and died as a perfect sacrifice for my sins).

In the past dozen years or so, it’s grown to be a very special time for us, when even the gift-giving is “in honor of Jesus.” As I looked down on last year’s stack of presents, a handmade ornament from the grandchild held equal value with a carefully selected book or fine shirt.

The celebration started with six of us. This year we’ll have 10, including a baby. We’ll feast on dinner, meditate on the story of Christ’s birth, walk through our neighborhood to reenact Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, and rejoice with the herald angels. You can read about it here.

It seems fitting to initiate a blog with a mention of a new beginning — the incarnation of one who “is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” (Hebrews 1:3-4)

We rejoice that Jesus-God was “made like his brothers in every respect,” (2:17) that he might “deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery [to sin and, therefore, eternal hopelessness and separation from God]” (2:15).