Are You Experiencing the Spirit Filled Life?

Campus Crusade for Christ

What words would you use to describe your current experience as a Christian?

Growing. Frustrated. Disappointing. Fulfilled. Forgiven. Stuck. Struggling. Joyful. Defeated. Exciting. Up and down. Empty. Discouraged. Duty. Intimate. Mediocre. Painful. Dynamic. Guilty. Vital. So-so. Others?

Do you desire more? Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him” (John 7:37, 38). What did Jesus mean? John, the biblical author, went on to explain, “By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified” (John 7:39).

Jesus promised that God’s Holy Spirit would satisfy the thirst, or deepest longings, of all who believe in Jesus Christ. However, many Christians do not understand the Holy Spirit or how to experience Him in their daily lives.

The following principles will help you understand and enjoy God’s Spirit.

New Beginnings

Written by Carol Van Atta

Amazingly, it’s that time. A New Year is approaching right on schedule — again. This is the time of year so many of us start making resolutions to change a certain area, or multiple areas in our lives. Maybe we have some extra pounds to shed. Possibly, we are committed to changing a specific, harmful behavior. Our infamous New Year’s resolutions range from simple desires to seemingly full-proof-plans for extensive life change. What we all have in common is the hope that something will change, and life will be different (and better) in the year ahead.

Do you have a resolution this year? Or are you like so many people who have done away with their hopes for lasting, life change? Every year, people ring in the New Year with goals to live life differently on some level.

Don't Speak--Shout Your Victory!

"From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised." (Psalm 113:3)

Praise God. Praise Him in the morning. Praise Him at noon. Praise Him at night. If you've never praised God in your life, then get started right now. Praise Him for freedom. Praise Him for healing and Calvary. Praise Him for the Name of Jesus.
You ought to be shouting your way to work and shouting your way back home! If there's anything the devil can't stand, it's praise.
If you've taken territory from the devil and he's coming against you to get it back, this is not the time to sit down and whine about how things aren't working out. It's not time to decide that God has taken His hand off your life.

Jesus in Creation

Rev. Daniel Forster

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”(John 1:1-4, ESV)

Jesus is life and in and through Him all things were made. We read John 1 and we are shown in this first chapter part of the mystery of the Old Testament. God allows us to see how He works in a very deep and intimate way. What had remained hidden and a mystery in the Old Testament is now revealed to us so our eyes may be opened to His glory.

Praise be to God, it is no longer a mystery! We know it is Jesus, the breath of life. This knowledge allows us to see and understand Jesus on a much deeper level. He gave us life from the beginning and through Him we are re-born to a new life by the blood shed by paying the price of death for our sins.

Fulfilled Prophecies at the Birth of Christ

by Tim Chaffey, AiG–U.S

Another Reason to Rejoice this Season

Then the shepherds returned, glorifying God and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. (Luke 2:20)

Millions of Christians around the world choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus during this time of year—some on December 24 or 25 and others around January 7—while some choose not to celebrate at all. Whenever a Christian decides to celebrate, or if he elects not to celebrate His birth, we can all rejoice in the fact that, by putting on humanity, the Son of God became one of us to deal with our sin by dying in our place before conquering death when He rose from the dead.

History in Advance

Do You Fear the Birth of Jesus?

by Jeremy Ham, AiG–U.S

The historical account of Joseph and Mary traveling to Bethlehem in preparation for the birth of Jesus is no stranger to many of us. On Christmas, we celebrate Jesus Christ’s birthday, remembering why He had come (John 3:16–17). Although what God has done through the Lord Jesus Christ gives us the reason to be joyful always, do you also fear God in light of Christ’s birth? The birth of Jesus Christ should either make you afraid or make you admire and revere our awesome God.

Admiration for Christ’s Birth

Christians have no need to be afraid. In fact, on Halloween, we discussed the topic of the fear and the proper response to it. We have God on our side, so why should we be scared (see Psalm 118:6)? However, this does not negate the need for a fear of God. In this article, we are referring to two different definitions of fear in this context—to be scared of something or to have a reverent fear in awe of God. When we fear God, we submit to God as our Creator and Savior, and we will praise and glorify Him for who He is and what He has done for us.

The Hidden Man of Christmas : Putting St. Joseph back in the picture.

By James Martin

As far as biblical figures go, St. Joseph—the man who married the mother of Jesus—often gets short shrift: his life isn’t prominently featured in the Gospels, and he’s rarely depicted on Christmas cards. Yet Joseph did fulfill an astonishingly important task: raising the son of God. James Martin explores what we do and don’t know St. Joseph’s identity in a 2008 article reprinted below. 

Christmas cards tend to fall into three categories: the family card (cheerful children in red and green sweaters), the secular card (snowmen, snowflakes, snowy villages), and the religious card. The religious card usually bears a portrait of the Virgin Mary gazing beatifically at the crib of her newborn son, Jesus. Behind her, the picture is just as some of the Gospels describe: shepherds, animals, maybe even the three wise men, though they actually were late on the scene.

But where's St. Joseph? Where is the man to whom, according to the Gospel of Matthew, an angel announced the birth of Jesus? Where is the guy who married Mary even though she was already "with child," the man who helped to raise Jesus, the carpenter who taught Jesus his craft?

How You can Walk in the Spirit

Written by Dr. Bill Bright

Experiencing the adventure

A medical doctor approached me with great excitement at the conclusion of our  training conference. He was overflowing with joy and excitement.

“Since I have learned how to be filled with the Holy Spirit and walk in His power, the Christian life has become a great adventure for me!” he exclaimed. “Now, I want to experience this same adventure with Christ.”

Would you like to know how to enjoy what this man an millions of other Christians have experienced? You too can know the adventure of a full, abundant, purposeful and fruitful life in Christ!

Don’t You Know ( ... what God has freely given us? )

Gail Rodgers

Join us every week day for Daily Devotional Chat in women’s chatroom at 10:30am Eastern

“We have not received the spirit of the world but the spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” (1 Corinthians 2:12)

The beautifully wrapped gift sat under the Christmas tree. All the other gifts had been claimed and opened. This one just sat there. Each day someone told the woman to open it – it was hers. Each day she felt content to just know the gift was there, with her name on it. It belonged to her. But she never possessed it… she never used it… she never enjoyed it. 

What a waste!

Yet that is so often what we do with the gift of the Holy Spirit. We know, as Christians, that when we receive Jesus as our Savior, He gives us the Holy Spirit as our helper and our comforter. But many Christians never really claim this gift. They seem content to just know it’s there, with their name on it.

What We Learned About Humanity in 2012

By Charles Choi, LiveScience Contributor | LiveScience.com

The controversial extinct human lineage known as "hobbits" gained a face this year, one of many projects that shed light in 2012 on the history of modern humans and their relatives. Other discoveries include the earliest known controlled use of fire and the possibility that Neanderthals or other extinct human lineages once sailed to the Mediterranean.

Here's a look at what we learned about ourselves through our ancestors this year.

We're not alone

A trove of discoveries this year revealed a host of other extinct relatives of modern humans. For instance, researchers unearthed 3.4-million-year-old fossils of a hitherto unknown species that lived about the same time and place as Australopithecus afarensis, a leading candidate for the ancestor of the human lineage. In addition, fossils between 1.78 million and 1.95 million years old discovered in 2007 and 2009 in northern Kenya suggest that at least two extinct human species lived alongside Homo erectus, a direct ancestor of our species. Moreover, fossils only between 11,500 and 14,500 years old hint that a previously unknown type of human called the "Red Deer Cave People" once lived in China.

Small business owners bracing for cliff fall

By Adrienne Burke | SmallBiz Vote
In the countdown to the nation’s fall over the edge of the fiscal cliff, small business advisors and advocates are imploring Congress and President Obama to come together.

While many small business owners remain paralyzed with uncertainty about 2013 budgeting, others are taking action. Based on the assumption that Congress will not reach an agreement in time to avoid the cliff, about half of business owners are making changes to prepare for higher tax rates next year, according to results of a survey conducted by financial information company, Sageworks
The survey conducted between December 12-18 collected online responses from 164 Sageworks clients, who are accountants and business advisors to privately held businesses. The responses reflect what those professionals hear from those they advise:

Fifty Ways Porn Might Be Sneaking into Your Church

by Dannah Gresh

       Dannah Gresh shares her concern

    and wisdom to help ministry leaders

       approach "Fifty Shades of Grey" 

                with biblical savvy.

Editor's Note: The popularity of the book 
Fifty Shades of Grey is growing as more 
women (and men) pull it off the shelves 
this summer. Dannah Gresh is a sought-
after speaker and author who has 
studied sexuality in the Bible for more 
than fifteen years. In this bold article, 
Gresh shares her concern and wisdom to help ministry leaders approach the book with biblical 
savvy.

**

I’m not reading Fifty Shades
of Grey. I wasn’t planning to announce this, but I can’t help myself. I told my 
husband, Bob, that I didn’t really want to get involved. But then, I found out my girlfriend’s 70-year-old mom has her name on a long wait list at the library to borrow Fifty Shades of Grey. And then my mom told me that a relative I love and respect for her strong faith had already devoured the book. She regretfully “can’t get the images out of her head.”

So here I am. In an attempt to keep the images out of yours, I’d like to explain to you why I’m not reading Fifty Shades of Grey.

Remember Noah

"And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." (Genesis 6:7-8)

One of the dirtiest, most damaging lies that the devil ever told you was when he said, "You aren't important." Don't you ever believe that.

You are important! Every born-again member in the Church of Jesus Christ has a part to play in God's plan. God has something for you to do that no one else can do just like you can. If you don't take your place and do your part, things won't be quite right.

I can just hear you thinking, "Oh, Gloria, I'm just one person. What could I possibly do that could be so significant?"

A Fresh Start to a New Year

The Lord's loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness.  "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I have hope in Him."  Lamentations 3:22-24

Have I ever told you how bad of a golfer I am? Well, it is true. I am inconsistent off the tee box, can’t chip to save my life, and putt like Herman Munster. That mixture of problems typically results in bad scores. Sometimes I just give myself an “F” for “fun” on the scorecard.

I remember one day I was playing golf with a friend. It was a typical day for me on the course, a few good shots and a lot of bad shots. After we made the turn for the final nine holes, however, something happened. I started to play better! It was like a scene from Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I am sure my friend was wondering, “Who are you and what have you done with my friend Jeff Schreve!” I was on fire!

We got to the last hole. If I shot par on that hole, I would have finished the back nine with a 40, my best score ever for nine holes. Unfortunately, as I stepped to the tee box, the body snatcher left me. The old Jeff was back, and it wasn’t pretty. I hit tree after tree on my way to a quadruple boogie. UGH!

Establish Habits for Spiritual Growth

Rick Warren.
“So we continue to preach Christ to each person, using all wisdom to warn and to teach everyone, in order to bring each one into God's presence as a mature person in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28 NCV)

The most practical and powerful way to get believers headed in the direction of spiritual maturity is to help them establish habits that promote spiritual growth.

You cannot talk about character without talking about habits. Character is the way you habitually act. For example, if you are honest only part of the time, or if you are honest only when you consciously choose to be honest, you cannot claim to have the character quality of integrity.

How To Avoid Spiritual Distractions

A tale is told of a gifted bloodhound in England that started a hunt by chasing a full-grown male deer. During the chase, a fox crossed his path, so he began to chase the fox. Then, a rabbit crossed his hunting path, so he began to chase the rabbit. After chasing the rabbit for a while, a tiny field mouse crossed his path, and he chased the mouse to the corner of a farmer’s barn.

	The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching….” Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!” — Acts 5:27-29

The bloodhound had begun the hunt chasing a prized male deer for his master, but wound up barking at a tiny mouse, all because he tried to focus on more than one thing. As humans, we’re equally guilty. We set so many expectations for ourselves that we often never meet even one of them.


The disciple and apostle Peter knew this struggle well. On the one hand, he had expectations of obeying the authorities’ commands to stop preaching Christ. On the other, he knew his obligation to God was much more important. So he made the decision to obey God rather than the authorities.

Jesus, Poverty and a Bad Mistake

Greg Stier

We address poverty by both giving
them bread for their bodies and
the Bread of Life for their souls.

As I write this I’m traveling home from a Youth Specialties convention that was just held in Dallas, Texas. “YS” (as it’s commonly called) is a youth pastors’ conference that has tons of seminars for youth leaders to help them become more effective at ministering to teenagers. I’ve been teaching at these fabulous events for more than a decade and look forward to it every year.
One of the reasons I love YS is because it’s always a great opportunity to connect with youth pastors of all shapes and stripes. These leaders range from mainline to conservative, small church to large church and rural to urban.
My YS experiences have been defined by laughter, learning and, at times, controversial conversations. It has been a joy to wrestle through tough issues with others who are in the midst of ministering to the next generation.

Are You A God Chaser?

"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst;  but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water  springing up into everlasting life." -John 4:14

Are you a God Chaser? As we prepare our hearts and minds to dive into 2013, I find myself wondering how I can jump-start the New Year by immersing myself even deeper into the Lord.

Last month we talked about allowing our spiritual, emotional and physical batteries to run low. I promised that I would follow up this month with help for recharging ourselves through our ultimate Power Source - The Ever Present Spirit of God.

As the New Year quickly approaches, it seems fitting that we look at how we can begin the next year of our lives totally plugged-in to God, and going even deeper in Him than we ever have before.

Having to drink wild water

This guest post is by Dale Martin

In virtually ever facet of preparedness and planning, especially if money is not a problem, there are items you can buy from a commercial supplier. For most of us, however, money is somewhat relevant.

Thus, most of us are constantly deciding on a variety of issues. There are items we can buy commercially. There items we can do without. There are items we can substitute. And, finally, there are some items we can make.

I keep a deck of cards and a set of dominos in my 72 hour kit. I really don’t have to have them; they are strictly a comfort item. They would be an example of items that I could do without easily.

A person might really want to have top-notch electric lanterns or good quality oil lamps for his household emergency lighting. But, if he already has a lot of candles, he can substitute.

How to Start a Campfire

This guest post is by Patsi

You need a few items before you begin – an existing fire pit, lighter, some newspaper, logs, and a magazine to fan the fire with. Once you have gathered these items you can begin, the earlier the better because when night comes it is very dark and you definitely want a fire blazing by this time.

Take the newspaper and wad up the sheets, remembering to have the lighter nearby. Once you have balled up the sheets of news paper light the ends and set the lit papers into the fire pit. If the fire dies out it is probably because you used more than two sheets of paper to make the wads. Unroll the wads and re-roll using only one paper per ball. 

Our Daily Bread -- Wind And Fire

Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: 1 Peter 2:9-17
Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. —1 Peter 2:17

Sometimes when I want to start a fire, the wind puts it out. But when I try to keep a fire burning, wind keeps it going. So, in the first situation, I label wind “bad” because it thwarts my plans; in the other, I label it “good” because it helps me accomplish what I want to get done.

This paradox illustrates how we judge things by the way they affect us. We declare circumstances or people “bad” if they thwart our plans or cause us inconvenience. We judge circumstances or people “good” if we agree with them and they support our cause.

Relax, Parents: There's No Need to Put the Christ in Christmas

By Amanda Marcotte

The Rockettes don't flash their legs to celebrate the Virgin Birth.

Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

In our age of neurotic parenting, it should come as no surprise that irreligious parents might succumb some to the evidence-free claims of many that children must be raised in a faith tradition in order to achieve some ill-defined "values". Andrew Park at Salon has a piece up about his attempts to inject a little religion into the holiday festivities. (By "religion", he of course means "Christianity", because as concerned as he is about exposing his children to faith traditions, he isn't concerned enough to start fasting for Ramadan and teaching his children about the prophet Mohammed.) 

Why does God sometimes address His words to Jacob and then to Israel even in the same verse of Scripture? I’m thinking about Isaiah 43:1.∼ Kathleen G.

Isa 43:1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

Dear Kathleen,

You make an excellent observation. Unlike Abraham, Sara or Joshua, who are never referred to by their original names once they are given a new one, Jacob occasionally remains Jacob even after he is renamed Israel. After the name change to Israel in Genesis 32:29, there are still many instances where Scripture talks about Jacob. In the instance to which you refer, both names appear in one verse.

In a nutshell and as a starting point, Jacob refers more to the individual family man while Israel refers more to his position as the head of a nation. Jacob has a dual nature as the patriarch who is both the father of the twelve tribes and the gateway to the ‘children of Israel’ as they morph into a nation. Though it is sometimes easier to spot than others, generally when he is called Jacob, it is in his private capacity as a father. However, when he is called Israel it is when he is acting as a towering figure whose life and all its details will impact the destiny of all who cleave to the God of Abraham for all times.

The Snake that Roared

Ever found yourself frustrated by endless conversation while you knew that time for critical action was passing? You need the roadmap to transformation.

Genesis chapter 46 enumerates Jacob’s children and grandchildren by name, arriving at a total of seventy souls who came to Egypt. All is as expected until we arrive at Jacob’s fifth son, Dan.

Dan’s sons: Chushim.

(Genesis 46:23)

That’s right, Dan’s “sons” suggests a plural, yet there is only one—Chushim. Strangely, his name ends in the manner that masculine plural nouns end in Hebrew—IM. SoyeladIM means boys; sefarIM means books, and susIM means horses. Though Dan only has one son, ChushIM, there is a hint in the ending of his name that he is actually plural—two people.

We see one additional hint at a duality in the tribe of Dan:

Like Ephraim and Manasseh

“He blessed them that day and said, ‘In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: “May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.”’ So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.” — Genesis 48:20

This Torah portion for this week, Vayechi, is from Genesis 47:28–50:26 and 1 Kings 2:1–12.

Every Friday night, when Jewish families gather around the table to celebrate the Sabbath festive meal, parents bless their children. To the girls we say, “May God make you like Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah.” To the boys we say, “May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.” It’s easy to understand why we choose to bless our girls to be like the great Matriarchs. But why don’t we bless our sons to be like the holy Patriarchs? Why do we choose Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, instead?

Ephraim and Manasseh accomplished something that no one else in the covenantal family had. Isaac and Ishmael were brothers, but they weren’t able to live together. Ishmael was banned from Abraham’s home. Jacob and Esau were twins, and they, too, had their share of sibling rivalry. At one point, Esau wanted to kill his brother. Next came the twelve sons of Jacob, and as we know, their relationship with Joseph wasn’t perfect either. Their jealousy of Jacob’s favorite led them to sell Joseph into slavery.

Facing Marah?

"Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore, it was named Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" Exodus 15:22-24

Bitter things. No one likes bitter things. But bitter things are part of life. Life is not all honey and no bees. Roses do have thorns ... and all people face "bitter waters" from one degree or another.

The Marah story in Exodus 15 is especially significant. You see, in Exodus 14, God's people had just seen and personally experienced the greatest Old Testament miracle: the parting of the Red Sea and the drowning of Pharaoh and his armies. The people take the first 21 verses of chapter 15 to rejoice and dance and sing over the great power of God. Life is good, and God is awesome! Hallelujah!

How the ICU Gave A New Perspective On Christmas

MARCUS YOARS

 

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(prometeus -stock-free-images)

A Christmas spent in an ICU gave my wife and me new insight into preparing a place for God’s presence

There are worse places to be on Christmas Eve than snowy Colorado. Yet after almost a month of being stuck in the neonatal intensive care unit of a Denver hospital, my wife, Amber, and I were more than ready to go home. Our problem: Home was 2,000 miles away in Orlando, Fla., and our doctors weren’t about to let Amber, who was barely 24 weeks into an already complicated, high-risk pregnancy, get in an airplane. We desperately wanted to spend Christmas Day with our 4-year-old son, who we hadn’t seen in weeks but who at least was safe with family across the country. It became apparent that flight wouldn’t happen anytime soon.

When We Don’t Have the Words to Pray

J. LEE GRADY

 

422

 

54

 

3

 

32

 

A woman prays at a candlelight vigil to support victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting (Reuters/Michelle Mcloughlin)

When tragedy strikes like it did last week in Connecticut, it’s OK if you are speechless

Some members of my church gathered near the altar last Sunday to pray for those affected by the recent school massacre in Connecticut. Our pastor had a list of the victims, and he asked that we mention each of the families by name.

It wasn’t easy to read that list. It included Daniel Barden, age 7; Charlotte Bacon, 6; Olivia Engel, 6; Chase Kowalski, 7; and Jack Pinto, 6. A total of 20 children died in the shootings, plus six adults, including Victoria Soto, the brave first-grade teacher who herded her students into a closet when the gunman approached her classroom. She was 27, the same age as my oldest daughter.

Know Him as Daddy

"For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption--the Spirit producing sonship--in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba! [That is,] Father!" (Romans 8:15, The Amplified Bible)

One night after a worship service a friend of mine and I stepped outside and were suddenly awed by the beauty around us. It was one of those crisp, clear winter nights when the brilliance of the moon and stars nearly takes your breath away. I said to my friend, "Tommy, will you look at that!" Then he looked up with one of those Holy Ghost whole face smiles and with a voice full of tenderness said, "My Daddy made that!"

"My Daddy...." I'll never forget the way he said that.

5 Ways to Have More Sex During the Holidays

GalTime

GalTime.com

by Karen Siff Exhorn for GalTime.com

The holiday season is a lot of things -- memorable, sentimental, stressful. But, how often do you think of the six super-fast weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's as sexy? The holidays don't have to equal bah-humbug sex.

Here are five ways to have a happy and hot holiday season:

1. Enjoy Naughty Nibbles
There are too many articles that advise you to be mindful about your eating and drinking during the holidays. I say, eat, drink and enjoy! What are some sexy holiday foods to get you "in the mood?" My favorite is chocolate -- the darker the better. Chocolate has a long-held reputation as an aphrodisiac, and the antioxidants in dark chocolate are great for promoting sexual vigor. So indulge yourself in those holiday chocolate bars, cupcakes and brownies. You can always start that diet in the New Year.

The 1st Black Man to See the Baby Jesus

100 Amazing Facts About the Negro: What do we really know about Balthasar's origins?

By: Henry Louis Gates Jr



Adoration of the Magi, artist Nicolas Poussin, 1633

(The Root) -- Amazing Fact About the Negro No. 11: Who was the first black person to see the baby Jesus?

African Americans have long been fascinated by the presence of black people in the Bible. This concern, for my generation, became quite intense about the time that Rev. Albert Cleage founded the Shrine of the Black Madonna in Detroit in 1967, and many black Christians sought to reconcile their faith with a growing involvement in black cultural nationalist politics. 

Why Christmas Is So Deadly

 Kent Sepkowitz, The Daily Beast

In addition to being the time of lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you, Christmas turns out to be the most lethal day of the year. By a long shot. Followed by New Year’s Day. Followed by the other 363 days of the year, more or less in a heap, though the rate slopes up for a few weeks pre-Xmas, then sinks after the big day.

I Love Being a Christmas Baby

Being born on Dec. 24 was one of the best things that ever happened to me.

By L.V. Anderson

Being born on or near Christmas ain't so bad

Hemera/Thinkstock

I’ve come to expect a certain kind of response when I tell someone my birthday: a sympathetic frown, a pat on the shoulder, a few lighthearted words of support. That’s because I was born on Dec. 24, and everyone knows—or thinks they know—what a bummer having a birthday on or near Christmas must be. This view was articulated emphatically on this week’s episode of the ABC comedy Happy Endings, in which we learned that Jane’s real birthday is on Christmas Day. Jane (Eliza Coupe) has been pretending her birthday is on Jul. 16 for decades—she even carries around a fake ID bearing the summer date—because “when your birthday is on Christmas, you get completely forgotten about.”