The Night Before Christmas ...

On December 23, 1823, a poem appeared anonymously in the New York Sentinel entitled A Visit From St. Nicholas. It's popularity grew rapidly and it later acquired the name, The Night Before Christmas.  Through the years, many a spellbound child has listened to its imaginary description of a family awaiting the dawn of Christmas morning and the mystical visit of that fat gentlemen with the long white beard, the red suit, and the laugh that sets him apart as Santa Clause!

Yet, in the hustle and bustle of the Season, many fail to give attention to the true meaning of Christmas. There really was a "night before" that first Christmas morning when angels sang and men came to see the newborn King in a manger. It was a night both long and dark but one in which the Creator was planning and preparing the Gift of all gifts. It is that night which we examine in this series and its beginning lies in the incomprehensible expanse of eternity itself.

December 07: "The Night Before Time!"

December 14: "The Night Before Hope!"

December 21: "The Night Before Promise!"

December 24: "The Night Before Christmas!"