The first known observation of Christmas occurred around 378 AD, approximately 400 years after the birth of Jesus. Due to the time of year it is observed, many seasonal customs overlapped the Christmas holiday and gradually became synonymous with it. These customs and traditions have changed over time, but the core of many Christmas traditions can be traced back to their pre-Christmas roots.
Over the years, Christmas has continued to grow and change as it conforms to the culture in which we live. The advent of technology has made it all too easy for businesses to emphasize consumerism under the guise of generosity and hospitality. Hollywood has generated millions of dollars of revenue on Christmas movies and television shows, and Nashville has done the same in the music industry. Every year, Christmas comes a little earlier to the store shelves and the TV screen, practically dismissing Thanksgiving altogether.
The lengthening and emphasis on the Christmas season has done us a true disservice. It has gradually taken the focus off of the birth of Jesus and placed it on anything else that can and will grab our attention. Not only has it taken our eyes off of Baby Jesus, it has raised our expectations of the Christmas holiday to a level that is impossible to satisfy in the real world. Every year we feel extreme pressure to buy more, spend more, give more, do more… We are constantly bombarded with visions of perfection that we cannot live up to, and that drives us into a spiral of insanity that sets us up for failure year after year.
The house has to be picture perfect for our guests. The meal needs to be worthy of the most experienced chefs we see on TV. The gifts must be perfectly suited to the recipient, at the perfect value, and be wrapped in a way that makes it worthy of the cover of a magazine. Oh, and don’t forget the kids. They have to have Christmas outfits that would make even the Grinch swoon. Each child needs to be perfectly groomed and stay that way for hours on end, all while holding hands and singing “Kumbaya” in perfect harmony.
I have heard from many of my Christian friends that Christmas is the most stressful time of year for them. As a friend and sister in Christ, I am saddened that celebrating the birth of Jesus has become such a negative experience. There are many stories and many reasons for this added stress during Christmas, of which I am sure we can relate in one way or another: financial burdens, broken family relationships, recently deceased loved ones, expectations of perfection, pressures of hosting friends and family, indulgent temptations for individuals in recovery, and much more.
Last night, I had the pleasure and honor of participating in a Christmas Eve service that emphasized this very issue. The things surrounding Christmas are beautiful and can be wonderful, but when those things become our Christmas, we have a problem, and it is a problem of the heart.
Below are just some of the things that can hijack our Christmas. Keep an open mind while you review this list, and ask God to show you areas that you might need to reassess during the Christmas season.
Christmas Bling
Where I live, Christmas decorations hit the store shelves as soon as Halloween is over- perhaps even before! Christmas lights and decorations are a huge part of the season. People spend hundreds of dollars every year decorating their houses, and I’m sure some go well into the thousands.
While many analogies can be made about Christmas lights in relation to Jesus, when lights and decorations become our primary focus, we are focusing on the wrong thing. Christmas is not about the lights, the tree, the decorations, or any other thing here on earth. These things can be good in their proper place, but we need to be careful that they stay that way.
Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” -Hebrews 13:5
Christmas Giving
Giving is a special part of the holiday season. Growing up, my mom would send my brother and I around to our neighbors with plates of cookies during the Christmas season. This is the time of year that most people are more charitable and kind. However, we must be careful that our giving doesn’t become the primary focus of Christmas.
Hospitality can also be an issue during Christmas. Those who are lucky (or unlucky) enough to host others for Christmas can feel a lot of pressure to make everything perfect. After days of struggling to meet the expectation of a Hallmark-worthy holiday, hosts often need a vacation after Christmas vacation!
Without Jesus as the focus of our giving and kindness, our efforts are futile. Remember- the things of this earth will pass away, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. -1 Timothy 6:17-19
Family
When is family not a good thing? When it becomes more important than actually celebrating the birth of Jesus, or more important that your personal relationship with Him. Listen closely friends, because this can go either way. It’s easy to become consumed with the presence of our families, but it is just as easy (perhaps easier) to become consumed with the absence of our families, or certain family members.
Contrary to what our culture might tell us, Christmas is not about family- it’s about the birth of Jesus.
If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. -Matthew 10:37-39
Santa Claus
Christmas is not about Santa Claus. Enough said.
So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.1:17a Greek from above, from the Father of lights.
He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.1:17b Some manuscripts read He never changes, as a shifting shadow does.
He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. -James 1:16-18
