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To some people, Christmas preparations can be a very big deal. In Oregon, where I live, many families go to tree farms and cut down their own Christmas trees. It is a whole day affair – you go and choose your tree, then use a saw to cut it down. At this point you warm up with a mug of hot spiced cider. Then you tie the tree on top of your car to get it home. The tree is just the beginning. There are decorations to put up, parties to plan, and presents to buy. The stores want to make us believe that we need to buy more and more to be ready for Christmas. If only we could buy enough, we would be really ready for Christmas to come. But that’s not true: the only way to be truly ready is to prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate the birth of Messiah. That’s what Advent is all about. Christmas is a big deal. It is when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” as the Apostle John says. God Himself came down and became man to live with us. Galatians says, he was “born of woman, born under the law,” so that we might know eternal life. Because of this, we need to get ready to celebrate Messiah-Savior, the Lord Jesus; not by buying more but by considering how to be more Christ-like. These preparations will show the world why Christmas matters so much. This is Luis Palau.