What was the most memorable gift you ever received on Christmas? Was it a perfectly wonderful present or an unmitigated disaster? I have had some of each. When I was still in elementary school, all my family met at our grandparents’ on one side of my family. All the cousins, aunts, and uncles were included. With a large gathering we chose names ahead of time to limit the expense but the gifts were always nice. We also had stockings with simple gifts inside. We opened the stockings first. Someone thought it would be funny to put a lump of coal in my stocking. The effect on me as a child was devastating. All the rest of my gifts were very good, but I could hardly even see them. Had I really been such a bad boy to deserve a lump of coal? Even at my advanced age, I still remember the event although I now see it from a different perspective. On balance, in my life, I have never had anything but lovely Christmas gifts, often far better than I even hoped for. It is interesting that all those memorable gifts were so much better, yet it is that one small joke that still sticks in my memory. It is a good example of how the negative seems to attract our notice more than the overwhelming positive every day. This may explain the bad news which is the center of much contemporary reporting. In contrast, the Gospel of Christ is the good news of God sending his Son to us. So, let’s leave behind the bad news or at least keep it in perspective, as we day by day experience the blessings of God’s Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.