When I think of Christmas, I think first of the birth of Jesus Christ, then immediately my family.
Growing up, we always took a road trip to the annual DeLoach Christmas family reunion. My dad was next to the youngest of five brothers and two sisters, all of whom had children, so it was a huge get-together.
It was a lot of fun for everyone, especially my dad's mom - she loved seeing all her children and grandchildren together at one time. It was so much fun as a kid that I do not recall a single time when my two brothers and I and our two favorite cousins weren't in trouble by going-home time.
At our Christmas get-together every year my father would take the lead by insisting that his brothers and brothers-in-law share a few of God's blessings on their family during the past year - and if you were an adult grandchild, look out because you had to give an update, too.
Jeff DeLoachWe children thought this was corny, and my father always made the grandkids be quiet and listen. This time of sharing was always followed by Uncle Harold leading us in prayer and giving thanks.
It has been years now since the DeLoach family has gotten together for this annual Christmas reunion - my dad was fairly young when he died, and only two of my uncles are still living. However, the awesome memories of those family events live on in me as if it were just a year ago that we were all together.
As I reflect on them now, one of the strongest memories I have is my father asking all of the adults to give an accounting of how God had blessed their family in the past year.
As many of us will do Christmas Day, this was Dad's attempt to make sure at the DeLoach Christmas reunion we all were reminded to keep the real meaning of Christmas in our hearts and on our minds. We celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's why Christmas is so widely celebrated.
As with our DeLoach reunion, it is a tradition for families to get together at Christmas to share a meal, open gifts, talk about the meaning of life and reflect on our blessings. It is a heartfelt time of year, where we also evaluate our priorities in life and reflect on those we loved who have departed this life on Earth.
The birth of Christ was the beginning of the glorious salvation realized by the passion of Jesus Christ, which is spoken about in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." How awesome that is.
We learn in Luke 1:28-32 just how this blessing from God started when an angel is talking to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Luke 1:28-32: "The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.'
"Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the most high.'"
On the day we now celebrate as Christmas, this child named Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph. I am happy to tell you that in your newspaper today you will find a special 16-page section that tells the biblical story of Christmas.
We wanted to help honor the real meaning of Christmas and provide you with another way to share the story of the birth of Jesus with your family.
We thank the businesses and organizations that sponsored "The Story of Christmas," enabling us to bring it into your home. Without their support, this special publication would not be possible.
The holidays are a special time of year, whether you celebrate Christmas as my family and I do or whether you mark them in another way in your faith. Whichever way you choose to celebrate, we offer you our best wishes. We also pause to give thanks for you, for your readership and for making us a part of your life for so many years. We look forward to continuing that relationship with you in 2018 - and wish you a joyous new year.
Jeff DeLoach is the president of the Chattanooga Times Free Press.