Christmas is a day preserved for Christians to revel merrily in the inextinguishable Light that God unleashed upon the world through his Son, Jesus Christ.

The gift is one that cannot be replicated, a Light that has no equal.

For Christians all over the world, perhaps especially the United States, that Light is one to be shared freely, a Light that compels those who hold it to share it, that cuts through the darkness of this world to reveal a joy that cannot be seen otherwise.

The holiday reminds Christians that whatever this transient world throws at them, they can and must always rejoice in the eternal blessings to come, blessings of an unsurpassed magnitude which we can only taste today.

As Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!”

Unfortunately, shameless politicians use the holiday as an excuse for political aggrandizement and resort to fearmongering over the supposed dark times at hand, presumably merely because a different political party occupies a centuries-old snow-colored residence in the middle of a swamp.

Often, these are the same politicians who, after tragedies, mock Christians for offering thoughts and prayers, or reject those prayers as “empty platitude(s)”, despite Christians believing that prayer is more powerful than any law or executive order ever imagined by man.

To pray is to talk with the almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth. How could any Christian believe the act of prayer to be empty? And how could a Christian be anything if not joyful and optimistic?

If one wishes for an illustration of a truly “dark” Christmas, look to the familiar story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus just over 2,000 years ago. While most reflexively recall the baby in the manger and worshipful shepherds, what came before was not all gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

As Luke documents in the second chapter of his gospel, Caesar Augustus had summoned all in the Roman world, to which the Holy Land was then subject, to travel to their own town to register for a census (perhaps not a bad idea, if any Supreme Court justices are reading).

That decree compelled Joseph and Mary, the latter deeply in the family way, to travel from their residence in Nazareth in Galilee south to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David, to whose line Joseph belonged. (Mary belonged to the line of David as well, through a different son of the biblical king).

That’s an arduous trek of nearly 100 miles, or 108 Roman miles (or 160 kilometers, whatever those are).

Don’t think a donkey ensured smooth sailing. Donkeys are rebellious and erratic creatures with minds of their own, subject to dangerously disobeying commands at any time. Imagine a furrier and smellier self-driving Tesla.

But the journey was colored by unimaginable emotional hardships.

Months prior, Joseph was told by an angelic messenger from God that Mary, his betrothed, was pregnant. For obvious reasons, Joseph knew the child was not his. But Joseph, a man of faith, obeyed the Lord’s messenger, and stood by Mary, believing her pregnancy to be a divine gift from God.

Nevertheless, can you imagine the immense psychological burden Joseph carried with him to Bethlehem? You can’t place “my pregnant wife was the recipient of a divine conception” on the back of a donkey.

And imagine Mary’s shock when learning from an angelic messenger of her own that she, a virgin, was pregnant. That’s a burden far heavier than eight pounds, six ounces.

The punishing voyage to Bethlehem was easy compared to what came next. No room in the inn, not even for a mother on the verge of giving birth. Ultimately, Mary delivered the Savior of the world in a lowly manger, Green Acres-style. No doctor, no drugs, no comfort, just a few smelly goats and a braying donkey. (For curious urban readers, no, barn animals do not use the outhouse.)

In those days, under the best of conditions, childbirth was an incredible danger to both mother and child. And as the sheep and the rats could attest, these were not the best of conditions.

The story is so familiar that it is too easy to dismiss the difficulty – even the downright terror – Joseph and Mary faithfully faced head-on. For a young couple rejected by all but their God amid a treacherous birth in a sickening setting following a draining journey, those must have truly been “dark days.”

Yet for all their troubles, the Bible is silent on whether Joseph cried into the manger over lacking the votes for cloture.

Christians should be thankful for the divine courage shown by Mary and Joseph on that first Christmas Day beset with uncertainty and fear. Their resolve and faithfulness unleashed a light upon the world unequaled in the history of man, one Christians bathe in each and every day and will through eternity.

For that reason and many more, Christmas stands alone from other days – yes, Gov. Pritzker, even separate from Kwanza. (Like the kilometer, no one knows what Kwanza is.)

Was Jesus born on December 25? Probably not. But it is of little consequence. The gift of Jesus and the salvation and utter joyfulness he gives Christians – and offers to all others – is to be enjoyed and treasured every day of the year.

That is why Christians feel compelled — are commanded, in fact — to share that gift with others, unlike other religions, some of which offer to nonbelievers not a gift but the sword.

On Christmas Day and every day, Christians have a direct line to God, forgiveness of their sins, eternal salvation, and all that comes with it.

And for American Christians, despite increasing persecution from the left and danger from an injection of migrants unyieldingly hostile to Christianity (and to assimilation in any form), the freedom to openly celebrate the gift of God and the joy of belief in his Son Jesus are available every single day.

Don’t listen to false prophets wrapped in the robes of smartly-tailored navy blue suits. These are not dark times. As Jesus told his followers in Matthew chapter 5, verses 14 through 16:

 You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Bradley Jaye is Deputy Political Editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye.