“Merry Christmas and a happy new year” is a chorus in which we find excitement this time of year.
Christmas trees await decoration and children search the web filling their heads with visions of the enjoyment to be found in just a few days, although it seems an eternity. There are parties to attend and presents to wrap. Christmas carols bring a sense of calm for all children whether this is their third or sixty-third Christmas celebration.
So how is Christmas different for the gearhead? Do we forgo the Christmas party or just look forward to joining other car enthusiasts instead of our work-a-day cohorts? Perhaps we give our children cars and trucks, and books about cars and trucks a bit more often than stuffies or clothing. 
Our choice of video games my lean more toward racing than “shoot ‘em up”.
Yet, there is often something more – a deeper connection with the true meaning of Christmas. There is a sense of hope, joy and peace, not limited to gearheads, perhaps, but a bit stronger than many others experience.
“Why”, you may ask, “would gearheads have a stronger tie to Christmas?”
Perhaps it is our creative spirit. We are people of vision, of possibilities, with a desire to make our cars better. We seek to provide something of value for others to enjoy. We recognize that, left to itself, an engine will not assemble itself and purr like a tiger. It requires an intelligent master craftsmen. We share a passion, perhaps even love, with our creations, club members and others who are energized at the sight of a pristine paint job or the scream of a high-strung V12.
We look forward to a new start – building on the present but in a better, stronger way. We find peace in a break from the routine, enjoying time together. We think of new projects and opportunities to share our passion.
In many ways, that is the story of Christmas. The birth of a son to common people – a simple carpenter and his young wife. Yet it was far more than the birth of one more crying babe. It signaled a new era when man and God were unified. The very heavens rejoiced and both shepherds and wise men were compelled to break their routine to embrace the coming of a savior who would free us from the power of our weakness.
Yes, just as we seek to bring power and purpose to our creations, Christ came with to bring peace and purpose to His creation. Let us pause this Christmas to reflect on that thought and be thankful as we look toward eternity with hope.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Titus 2:11-14 – NKJV
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