‘Twas the fight before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was loving, not even a mouse;
The stockings were flung on the chimney no care,
And the siblings complained that nothing was fair;

The cousins were brats, arguing who got the beds,
While visions of vengeance danced in their heads.
Mom in her silence and I in my rage
Circled each other like Hulk in a cage,

When out on the kitchen there arose such a clatter;
Grandma threw the cider, on the wall it did splatter.

Up from the sofa, Grandpa flew like a flash
Tore off the shutters and stole sister’s cash.

When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a TV reporter filming the fight of the year.
With a crew, a camera, microphone on a stick;
Her video footage was no Hallmark flick.

We then heard the sirens, cop cars in snow;
My uncle took aim and threw our large mistletoe;
Auntie joined in, acting all tough;
Then we all heard the jingle of a Christmas handcuff.

So let this poem be a warning to all;
Be kind to all people, even those down the hall;
Love one another with all of your might;
Happy Christmas to all, and please! Do not fight.

I wrote this silly poem to highlight two things. First, we should love those closest to us, even when we are tempted to let our family see the worst in us. But what I most wanted to say is this: If Jesus was strolling down the street, humming The Drummer Boy in his head (not the Justin Bieber version, because Jesus would not sin), and he saw this family feud on one side of the street and a picturesque, happy Christmas scene on the other, which side of the street would he go?

We don’t always think about John 3:16 as a Christmas verse, but it is.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.

The Father Gave. The Son came.

He came into our fights, our dysfunction, our family arguments, our violence, our poverty. He was born in a world in which the king dispatched soldiers to end his life.

Yet he came.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not die but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

God came because he loves us, and that’s always enough.

Merry Christmas.
(To watch the Highland Park Christmas Eve service, which featured a poem much more beautiful than mine, inspiring Christmas music, kids, and a brief, important word from me, click here.)