Surprise, Surprise, life is full of surprises!

The Extreme Home Makeover crew drives up to someone's home and surprises them with a brand new house. Amy Grant surprises three people a week on TV by granting their wishes. A crazy youth pastor surprised his bride by having his dog be the ring bearer. To be surprised is to feel wonder, astonishment, amazement, at something unanticipated. To be surprised is to be dumfounded, even flabbergasted.

Once upon a time, Christmas was full of surprises. You never knew what presents to expect because there were limits to what Santa could afford. Our threshold of amazement then was much lower than it is today. Let not repetition ruin the reality. The story of Christmas is still amazing. The characters of Christmas are stunned and surprised by these ang…