For those that have talked to me in any recent time, you are well aware that I am not a prime example of Christmas Spirit. I often answer my friends Merry Christmas' with a very proper Bah Humbug. I want take the time to clarify some things though.
First I am not AntiChristmas. Christmas doesn't upset me or make me mad or anything like that. In fact Christmas as a holiday is a nice time of year. However that is about as far as I'll go for liking Christmas.
My problem with Christmas is the way everyone handles it. We hype Christmas as a time where we are with our family and friends. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but shouldn't we do this all year round. It just upsets me that we make such a big deal out of it during this time and then seem to forget about it the rest of the year. The same can be said about generosity. It just bothers me but on top of that even when we do these things it seems we make a show out of it. "Oh look at the big package I got for Susie who I only talk to during this time of year" "Oh i put 50 bucks in the red kettle this year, that's really gonna help someone out" It is just upsetting. What makes it worse is that the season starts off with a bunch of people fighting over stuff often either for themselves or so that other people will be impressed with them.
So forgive me if I don't get as excited about Christmas as other people. I don't hate you or Christmas but I also just don't feel a need to get that excited. I work to live my life with the characteristics of Christmas year round.
Want me to have a Merry Christmas then check out this article by Mark Driscoll (correction the article is actually by Grace Driscoll). It has several good points. The only thing I would add is in his first point, let some people NOT be overly excited about the holiday. Its ok.
Ok. I read the article which was actually by Gracie Driscoll. A woman's perspective on the holidays seems to always be quite different from a man's so this article made great sense to me. Women tend to be the ones who stress out trying to recreate the world's view of the perfect Christmas. They are the ones who usually do most of the gift buying, baking, party hosting, gift wrapping, and keeping traditions alive. I have been one of these women and it's a hard place to be. No matter how well you plan, life happens and things don't go as planned. With both men and women, I agree that we need to keep the attitudes of Christmas alive year round. We should go out of our way to show care and love, give generously when needs arise, and do what we can to help others know that they matter to the Creator.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there is something special about the Christmas season where we get to highlight the birth of our Savior and shine a light at a time when the world pays attention. It's like celebrating your birthday, the one you love on an anniversary or Valentine's Day, the Risen Savior on Easter, the freedom of America on July 4th, blessings on Thanksgiving. As Christians, there's nothing wrong with enjoying the secular side of Christmas as long as we don't lose site of the true meaning and keep that alive. I'm the first one to say I love traditions. I love Christmas trees, I love gift giving, I love playing Santa, and I love having another excuse to host family and friends. But I also love sharing the story of God's gift to us - Jesus.
Being a scrooge, a bah humbug, or general downer, takes away from the joy that is to be had from this gift that's been given to us. Sure the world and humans generally screw it up. We can't expect those who aren't Christians to act like Christians. If it's Christians acting like that then hopefully, our actions can help them to see the holiday in it's true sense and make a change. If we can't be excited about this time of year and share the joy with others then how can we expect them to see it in us throughout the rest of the year? Will we be a downer on Easter because the world gets hyped over egg hunts and chocolate bunnies? The world can never learn about joy if we don't show it at the most opportune times.
Maybe wisdom comes with age or being a parent or just with life experience. For me, I want the joy of the season to be seen in me and for the rest of the world to get on board! So, carry on with your Bah Humbug if you must but you'll always get a Merry Christmas in return from me!
Thank you so much for your insight. It is true that joy can be a major part of this season. I do not deny that in fact I completely agree and love that part. However the thing I would say is that just because we are a humbug about Christmas does not me that we don't have joy. I love two things about this season. Giving gifts and knowing that it is the greatest outreach to the unchurched. I go to sleep very happy because of these things. The problem I have is that during the holiday season even when we celebrate Jesus' birth it seems to come second. Mainly cause we do exactly the same thing as the unchurched. Spend hundreds of dollars on lights to decorate our house and tree while people on the street go hungry and freeze. If Christmas is about celebrating Jesus' birth, shouldn't we do it by celebrating in a way he would want? Or like this year, How many Christians are going to skip church just cause of their traditions? Is this the celebration of Jesus' birth we want?
ReplyDeleteI truly don't mean to be a downer and the closer it gets to Christmas the more likely you are to get a Merry Christmas from me as it is actually Christmas time. But sometimes I think we forget what Christmas truly is about even when we remember its about Jesus.