A Christmas Message
A Cradle for the Christ of Everywhere
By Paramahansa Yogananda

During this coming Christmas season, open a new portal of sublime devotion so that the Christ Omnipresence will be able to come anew within your consciousness. Every day, every hour, every golden second, Christ has been knocking at your dark gates of ignorance. Now, in this august sacred dawn, Christ is especially coming in answer to your inner call, to awaken his Christ Consciousness Omnipresence within you.
Weave a cradle of tender perceptions with the threads of your meditation and make it commodious enough to hold the baby Infinity within its welcoming vastness. Christ is born in the viridescent blades; His gentleness is cradled in all fragrances. The opalescent sea-decked globe, the star-spangled savanna of the blue, the crimsoned love of the self-sacrificing martyrs and saints, have vied with each other in offering a dwelling
place for the all-pervading baby Christ.
This Christ of Everywhere is sleeping in the breast of Eternity; He loves to take new birth at any time, anywhere, especially in the warmth of your true affection. Though the Infinite Christ is present in every speck of space as the splendor of ever new wisdom and creative expression, you can never see Him unless He chooses to be seen in the cradle of your unceasing devotion.
The cozy crib of your heart has for a very long time been small, holding self-love alone; now you must make it enormous, so that social, national, international, creatural, and Cosmic Christ—love may be born there and become One Love.
Christmas should be celebrated not only by appropriate festivities and the exchange of material gifts, but also by deep, continuous meditation, making your consciousness a cosmic cathedral for Christ. You should offer therein your most precious gifts of love, goodwill, and service to uplift your inimical brothers, as well as your friendly brothers—physically, mentally, and spiritually.
The Infinite Christ is everywhere; worship His nativity in Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Moslem, Jewish, and other true religious temples. Every expression of Truth flows from the All-pervading Christ perception, so learn to worship that sacred Universal Intelligence in every pure religion, belief, and teaching. Since the Cosmic Christ dreamed into existence the divine being that is man, you should celebrate the birth of Christ in your newly awakened equal love for every nationality and race.
All new-blown blossoms and astral twinklings are images of the Infinite Christ; garland each one with your love. Behold in your love the birth of an intoxicating Christ-love for your parents, friends, relatives, neighbors, and all races. In the sanctuary of your soul, invite your restless thoughts to assemble and still themselves in a service of deepest united love for Christ.
When the Christmas packages are placed around the family tree, make every thought an altar of Christ, and saturate the gifts with your goodwill. Worship Christ as born in all creation: in the star, in the leaf, in the blossom, in the nightingale, in the nosegay, and in your velvet devotion. Unite your heart with all hearts, so that Christ may be born there and remain forever and forever.