Do you like Christmas music? I love it. All types—old, new, religious, secular, funny, solemn—everything from “Silent Night” to “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.” I hear one of my favorite Christmas songs, and it sticks to me like super glue. I hum or sing it off and on throughout the day. Like yesterday when I heard the same jazzy version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” in two different stores. “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree . . .”
The words paint a festive picture, but a nagging question popped into my inquiring mind while I waited in the checkout line. Why would anyone give anybody a bird in a tree for Christmas? No man wanting to impress a woman, that’s for sure. Ranks right up there with house shoes and an ironing board on my wish list. If I ever receive a bird for Christmas, it had better be a ready-to-eat deep-fried turkey on the dinner table. A side dish of poached pears in honey, ginger, and cinnamon sauce would complement it nicely, but don’t get any ideas, Mr. Keller.
Seriously, maybe the ancient songwriter knew his audience and wrote to please them. In those days, visitors often brought food as presents, especially when they came to stay for months. During this Christmas season, may we know and celebrate the Bread of Life as we fellowship and feast with family and friends. “I am the Bread of Life,” Jesus said. “I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.” John 6:35-38
What’s your favorite Christmas song?