are you ready?

Are you ready for Christmas? I think this is the most commonly heard question as Christmas is approaching. But as people ask it and even as I myself have asked it a few times, I ponder at what I am truly asking. Sure, I've bought all my presents, they're wrapped and under the tree, but what exactly am I ready for? The question I should be asking myself is whether or not I have prepared my heart to have Christ move unhindered through my life. Whether my every action is bent at serving Him and those around me. Giving not out of excess, but out of sacrifice. Laying down my life for those around me.
Everyone looks at Santa and simply writes him off as the commercialized holiday symbol, but really, we've forgotten where the tradition of Santa came from and what it really represents. A man named St. Nicholas who generously served and gave to those around Him. That's the spirit of Christmas. God gave us the gift of Jesus, which wasn't simply out of the overflow...that was complete sacrifice. So are we ready to receive the gift of Jesus in our lives fully and completely and share it generously for others, or will we simply get caught up in the ritual of Christmas tradition forgetting what it represents?