It’s hard to believe Christmas is Sunday.

Time has flown by so fast, it’s hard to believe we’ve already completed one year since last Christmas and it seems like we’ve just celebrated the holidays of the Fourth of July, Labor Day and Thanksgiving.

And as I sit here thinking about what to write and whether to remember the histories of Christmases past, I remembered something from one of my favorite Christmas movies, “The Bishop’s Wife,” with Cary Grant, David Niven and Loretta Young. It’s an interesting story about an Episcopal bishop who prays for guidance and gets help from an angel — help he’s unaware he’s receiving. And as the movie goes on, he somehow believes the angel is in love with his wife.

But it’s the ending of the movie I remember most, when David Niven, as the bishop, reads a sermon written by the angel, Cary Grant. It’s called “The Empty Stocking.” I’m going to use this as part of my column, because I believe it has a message that brings the reason for the season together:

“Tonight, I want to tell you the story of an empty stocking.

“Once upon a midnight clear, there was a child’s cry. A blazing star hung over a stable, and wise men came with birthday gifts. We haven’t forgotten that night down the centuries. We celebrate it with stars on Christmas trees, with the sound of bells, and with gifts. But especially with gifts.

“You give me a book; I give you a tie. Aunt Martha has always wanted an orange squeezer, and Uncle Henry can do with a new pipe. For we forget nobody, adult or child. All the stockings are filled, all that is, except one. And, we have even forgotten to hang it up: the stocking for the child born in a manger. It’s his birthday we’re celebrating. Don’t let us ever forget that.

“Let us ask ourselves what He would wish for most. And then, let each put in his share, loving kindness, warm hearts, and a stretched out hand of tolerance: all the shining gifts that make Peace on Earth.”

As we end this year and move into 2017, let’s all remember the intangible gifts we have that make us unique individuals, and remember we have a boundless capacity for love and understanding — gifts we should be sharing not just with our immediate family and friends but with others we don’t know whom we meet as we go through our daily journeys.

That means living the spirit of Christmas all 365 days of the year as the Spirit of Christmas Present talked about in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Let’s not forget that child born in a manager, or the lesson he taught the world as an adult — lessons we should still live by today.

To all of you and your families, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

John Surratt is a staff writer for The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at john.surratt@vicksburgpost.com.