The Ultimate Christmas Love Story

My daughters and I are hooked on Hallmark Christmas movies. We love it all—the sets beautifully decorated with garland and twinkling lights, the cookie baking, cozy fireplaces, and mugs of steaming cocoa sipped as the characters stroll through dreamy Christmas villages, usually wearing bright red or green. Sigh. 

My fifteen-year-old son, however, doesn’t get it.

“Why do you like these?” he asks. “They’re all exactly the same. I can tell you from the first five minutes how they’re going to end. The guy will give up his fame or leave home to move to the girl’s town. Or the girl will quit her job or turn down the promotion so they can be together always.” My teenage son fake swoons.

But that’s the thing. Although these movies are predictable, something deep inside us craves these endings. An ending where somebody sees us at our worst—frustrated, sad, moody—or something ugly from our past spills out or maybe even all the above. Yet somehow, that person still loves us for exactly who we are and would give up anything to spend forever with us. 

This isn’t easy to find in real life. 

I dated several guys that fell extremely short of a Hallmark romeo before finding my incredible husband. I’m so grateful for the blessing of our marriage, but even for all its wonderfulness real life still happens. Even the people who love us well don’t always understand us, communicate clearly, or have the time or energy we might need or crave. 

But God offers us perfect love. He knows every detail about us (Luke 12:7), every quirk and habit, everything we’ve ever done or said (Psalm 139:1–6), and loves us completely (Ephesians 3:17–19). He wants to spend forever with us (Matthew 28:20). God puts a desire for His perfect love in all our hearts, in hopes that we’ll seek Him. 

Because of this tug in our hearts, my girls and I pop buttery popcorn, crawl under fluffy blankets, and sit glued to the movie about the bakery that both the main characters want to purchase and the one about the family-owned vineyard that is going under and the one with the country music star trying to avoid their obsessive fans. And these sweet, cheesy romances satisfy our hearts for an hour or two. 

But Jesus can satisfy this ache in our hearts 24/7 for the rest of our lives. It’s why Jesus came down from heaven to earth more than 2,000 Christmases ago—to offer us perfect, fulfilling love. 

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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. —John 3:16–17

Did you get that? God loved us so much that He sent Jesus down to earth so we could have a “happily ever after” with Him! Jesus didn’t come to expose our flaws or leave us as soon as we mess up, but to save us, to ride in on His white horse (Revelation 19:11) and rescue us from all our mistakes, failures, and pain. To love us perfectly.

That’s why we spend time at Advent (the season in the church leading up to the celebration of Christmas) specifically focusing on God’s love for us. Because it is a perfect love. The kind we’ve always dreamed about. A love where we are seen, known, understood, and treasured for exactly who we are. A love that promises to stand beside us not just until death-do-us-part, but all the way through eternity.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 8:38–39

Christ’s everlasting, perfect love is better than any movie or real-life romance could ever deliver. It’s sweeter than gingerbread frosted with buttercream and more amazing than a carriage ride through the snow. We don’t have to wear red or green or live in a cute little town or star in a movie. Jesus’ love is endless and available to all of us right here. Right now. He doesn’t just quit His job or move to our town to be with us. Jesus gave His very life to spend forever with you and me. And so, we sing carols, decorate trees, light pine-scented candles, and give each other gifts to remember and celebrate that we already have the gift of perfect love. The love of Jesus. At Advent. At Christmas. And happily ever after.

—Written by Laura L. Smith. Used by permission from the author. Click here to connect with Laura.