Christmas? What Christmas?

At least, that’s how I feel this morning in Moldova. For Moldova, December 25 is just another day. It is just another day to work, another day to fight the traffic, just another routine day.

It is not that Christmas is forgotten. It is that Christmas is celebrated January 7th, not December 25th. Since this country has holidays according to the Orthodox calendar; everything runs two weeks later! Today is barely noted, unless you happen to be an American!

So it makes our Christmas rather strange.

I don’t miss a white Christmas, we got that two days ago.

I don’t miss the endless television promotions, although I miss hearing the voice of Burl Ives in the old Rudolph! I have yet to watch The Little Drummer Boy or Frosty on <>Moldova television!

I don’t miss the countless Christmas parties, or the 5 pounds it adds!

I kind of miss the Christmas trees. Although our first artificial tree is beautiful, it is not quite the same

I don’t miss the millions of Christmas lights, Christmas-colored Oreos, or the endless array of holiday sales.

But I do miss the fact that today is not noted or celebrated. It feels weird knowing that this nation just keeps moving today. There is no It’s a Wonderful Life, playing for the 112th time. There are no Santas ringing bells for the Salvation Army. There is no eggnog on the grocery store shelves.

Today is just an ordinary day.

Last night, as I lay down in my bed (with visions of sugar plums dancing in my head, wait, that is another story!) I suddenly realized that this is like the first Christmas. Jesus came into this world and few even noticed.

To most people that night was just like any other. They went about their life: getting their taxes paid, cooking another dinner, heading off to work. And nobody noticed.

Yes, a few shepherds received the news, a magnificent heavenly show. A flock of sheep was fully aware something was happening! And some magi in the East had probably just begun their journey to Israel.

But for the majority of the world, it was just another day. What they didn’t know was that God had arrived.

Do you realize that each morning when you wake up, whether December 25 or April 3, you can be certain that God has arrived? You might never realize it, but God is here to bless you, save you, restore you, heal you, grant you peace and so many more wonderful things. He doesn’t just show up on Christmas!

So when you wake up tomorrow, April 3rd, June 2nd, or any other “ordinary” day, know that God is here, quiet and unassuming, ready for you to realize His amazing love.

God is here. It is not just an ordinary day.<>

Celebrating in <>Moldova,

Andy Raatz