When Beth and Ryan Vela adopted Claire through Buckner, it was "easily on of the best days" of their lives, "right up there with the birth of our boys and the day we met her. We had a dance party and we celebrated." 

When we experience God's blessings, we can't help but want to celebrate. We rejoice over what has happened. We're thankful. We're thrilled. Ecstatic even. 

That's why the Christmas season brings such joy. The birth of Christ is such a momentous occasion, we're still compelled to celebrate it more than 2,000 years later. 

In many ways, we remain in as much awe of God coming to Earth as the shepherds when they first saw Jesus in the manger. 

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. -Luke 2:20

So this Christmas, let's celebrate. Give an extra gift. Volunteer to help someone in need. Turn the Christmas carols up on the radio. You might even find yourself having a dance party.

Deeper Reflection:

• How can we celebrate the birth of Christ?

Next steps:

• Volunteer through Buckner this month in honor of Christ's birth. Visit our Volunteer Central to see all the opportunities waiting for you. 
• Look for ways to celebrate Christ's birth this week.