One of our local radio stations is playing “all Christmas, all the time” this month. It is an oldies station, but now anything remotely to do with this holiday season is on the playlist. I’ve discovered there have been some pretty odd and awful songs recorded about Christmas.

Driving to work one day last week I heard the song, “Christmas Just Ain’t Christmas Without the One You Love.” It was a county/western cover of the O’Jays’ soulful take on the usual Christmas romance theme. It wasn’t as bad as some I’d been hearing and the tune is catchy. It stuck with me as I settled in at my desk and I began to think how true this phrase really is.

Christmas without the love of Jesus, without knowing who he was and is, without understanding the promise of his birth which we celebrate on this day, really isn’t Christmas.  No amount of gifts, decorations, holiday romances or sentimental songs can take his place.

Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the one I love. Thank God  he’s always here, right in the center.

[Original version of this blog entry first Posted 12/19/09]