It's only been recently that I started truly understanding the deeper meaning and purpose behind Christtmas. And it has radically changed how I approach this month, teach my kids, and look forward to the next year. 
Of course, we all know the true meaning of Christmas: Christ's Birth. But how often do we go deeper than that? Can we put into words the power, the majesty, and the real beauty of that? WHY is Christmas such a time of celebration? 
This might seem like an easy thing to answer at first, but the heart of Christmas takes us into the very heart of the Gospel - and our lives as Christians. Understanding Christmas on a deeper level is the very first step in truly teaching our kids (and our own hearts) about the manger scene and why it's so significant. 
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Christmas becomes such a busy time. Time for parties, looking at Christmas lights, making cookies, buying and wrapping presents...If I'm not very careful, my entire month can get swallowed by all the fun and practical parts about Christmas. 
So much so that I have no brain power or energy left at the end of the day to really focus on the larger picture and meaning of Christmas. 
Discovering the Deeper Side of Christmas
I've been so thankful because for the past several years, I feel like God has been confronting me with the importance of the Gospel. The importance of relying on God and His strength for everything and starting to see the bigger picture at work. 
And this is especially true when it comes to my view of Christmas. Throughout my study, I've really come to see that the Christmas story is really just the story of the Gospel, or at least, the beginning of it. 
Through baby Jesus, we glimpse the entirety of God’s redemptive plan, and when we truly understand that story and how it unfolds, then we see the immense beauty and celebration of the tiny babe born in a manger on that dark night.
In essence, to understand Christmas and the Christmas story is to understand the basics of the Christian faith: The Gospel.
Why Was Christ Born?
The first thing to look at in understanding the celebration of this season, is to first ask why Christ was born? Why do celebrate his humble birth in a stable?
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
- Luke 2:8-15
Jesus didn’t come simply to perform miracles, or teach his disciplines how to lead moral lives, or to even simply point people back to God.
Jesus had a very clear purpose in coming to earth as a human baby: He came to one day die on the cross for all believers. For you and for me. He came to be our holy sacrifice and to die in our place so we could one day live eternity in heaven with God.
He to earth as a baby to be our savior.