Finish this Sentence...It Isn't Christmas 'Til I've Seen This Movie....

How would you finish this sentence: It's not Christmas until I've watched this movie?

For some, the answer is "Home Alone." (I've never seen it, but many love it.)

Others would say, "Elf". (Hilarious movie—except the end, which is unrealistic.)

For years, I would have said, "It's a Wonderful Life."

But now, I would have to say my answer is "Christmas Vacation."

Let me be clear—there are two versions of this movie—the cleaned-up television version and the original. I highly recommend the edited-for-television version.

That being said, I have to admit that I love this movie. It's hilarious.

It's not uncommon to hear Jamie and me quoting this movie throughout the holiday season. ("It's Christmas and we're all in misery" is one of my favorites.)

And who can forget the scene where the "Hallelujah Chorus" rings out when Clark Griswald finally gets the lights on his house to work?

It's a holiday classic.

While I love it because it's funny, the real reason that I love it is because it demonstrates the truth that Christmas isn't perfect.

Life isn't perfect.

The people in your life—at your Christmas—are far from perfect.

No matter how hard you try to make everything perfect, it's impossible.

The perfect Christmas is a fantasy.

Life is messy.

Christmas is messy.

Let's be honest: even the first Christmas was far from perfect.

Filled with the scandal of an unexpected pregnancy, the hassle of an excruciatingly long trip, and the expense of taxes, the whole story climaxes with a woman giving birth in a stinky, dirty barn surrounded by animals with no one to help her but an inexperienced, tired husband.

There was nothing picture-perfect about it. There was nothing about this night that was calm, bright, or perfect. It was messy, it was noisy. It was very imperfect.

That's how Jesus entered the world—so very, very far from perfect.

And yet, it was perfect in that the perfect God sent His Perfect Son to earth to have an imperfect birth, to live with imperfect people in an imperfect world, and yet never sin. All of this took place so that 33 years later, this perfect One could go to Calvary and pay the price for the sins of all of us imperfect people.

Because Jesus died for our sins and rose again, all of us imperfect people have hope.

Jesus' life and death offer us the gift of forgiveness of every sin we've ever committed.

Jesus' life and death allow us to spend all of eternity in Heaven with Him rather than in Hell paying the price for our sins.

Jesus' gift offers us the opportunity to have a personal relationship with the God Who created us.

Because Jesus came and lived and died and rose again, we have the promise that if we choose to accept Jesus as our Saviour, we don't have to walk through this life alone. Through good times and bad, highs and lows, victories and challenges, we always have Jesus' promise that He will never leave or forsake us.

This is the true gift of Christmas—it isn't about everything being perfect, it's about God stepping into our imperfection and providing a path to salvation, healing, and restoration to God.

As John 3:16 says,

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (NLT)

That is the beautiful miracle of Christmas.

Salvation. Healing. Eternal life. A personal relationship with Jesus.

That's what it's all about.

It's remembering that the God of the Universe loves you so much—He cares about you so much—that Jesus left Heaven with all of its perfection and glory and grandeur to come and live on a very imperfect earth.

He did it for you, and He did it for me.

That is worth celebrating 365 days a year...and belting the "Hallelujah Chorus!"

-Adessa