What is Christmas to you?

We often get caught up in this fast paced world and find it hard to slow down. We also get caught up in it's everyday expectations.  That includes Christmas.  

I encourage you to not get caught up in the commercialism of the season.  Instead, focus on what's important this time of year.. Which brings me to my post question, What is Christmas to you?

I stole this from one of our pastors who talked a little about it this past Sunday.  Have you ever asked yourself what this holiday means to you?  Is it only about Friends, Family, Parties, Food, Gifts?  Or is it something more to you?

I have an issue with this, we are surrounded by so much commercialism and expectation of the season. It really brings me down. Which is why every day during this season I have to re-focus on what is really important to me this time of year, and that is Jesus.

Now, don't get me wrong.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with gifts during this season. But, I think we need to ask ourselves why we give gifts?  Are we doing it out of obligation?  Are we doing it with a giving spirit and heart?  Are we doing it because Jesus is our ultimate gift and we want to show that to others?

I encourage you this season to slow down, re-focus and ask yourself : What does Christmas truly mean to me?  Then ask yourself, what does is mean to those around me? Will this spur a discussion this Christmas for you and yours?

I encourage you to read through the Christmas story again.  Put yourself in each of the peoples shoes(or sandals in this case). 

I pray that this season would bring you peace knowing that the Prince of Heaven came down to be with us. To show us the way and to ultimately show the greatest sacrifice so that we may live forever.

Luke 2:6-7
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays

Are either of these pictures offensive to you?  They are both pretty and cute and sweet to me.  I find that this time of year a lot of people share things on social media about how Merry Christmas has taken a hit over the last 20 years or so.  In some ways this might be true, but I think in the most part the whole Happy Holidays thing is not a direct hit on Christmas, it is more of a way to encompass all holidays that are celebrated in December, including New Years.  

I know that a lot of people are cringing right now when they read this.  My point of this post is to tell you that if you choose to say Merry Christmas to someone and they aren't a Christian, more than likely they are not going to be offended.  They are going to see it as a kindness, you are wishing them well.  Especially if they are an acquaintance or a stranger, how would you possibly know if they celebrate Christmas or not.  And, if you are in the United States and a lot of other countries, more than likely they are going to be celebrating Christmas whether they believe in Christ or not.  It has become a secularized holiday and it's been this way for a long time.

If someone says Happy Holidays to you, say thank you and realize that for the most part they are just wishing you well during this season.  They aren't trying to cause you strife by not acknowledging your Christianity.  Kindness is often taken very well by strangers.  You would be surprised by what a smile, a nod, a quick hello or a season's greetings can get from a stranger.  

I encourage you this season to try something out.  Next time you are in the store, grocery store, mall, where ever you shop or go: Say one of the following; Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings and smile.  Switch it up and see how people react.  I am guessing that most of them, if not all, are going to smile back and say thank you, return the sentiment or state something like "you as well". 

Now, you might get some grumblers-some people just don't care for the holidays and they get into a funk this time of year.  If you are one of these people(believe me I've been there and struggle with it every season) try focusing your attention outward to someone or something else that is in need.  You might find that will help your attitude a little.

Focus on the real reason for the season for us Christians.  Maybe it means staying away from all the commercialism. Maybe it means changing up your Christmas song list to something more Christ focused.  It certainly means more prayer and more time in the word.  Enjoy the little things that bring you happiness in this season.  Choose the light and not the darkness.  

We recently received snow here in New Hampshire.  One of the reasons I do not like this season.  However, as I look outside this morning, I choose to see the beauty in it.  It blankets everything so it looks fresh and white.  It reminds me of how Jesus' blood washes us white and clean.

So in this 3rd week of Advent, find Joy in Jesus.  This will look different to each of us. Some it may mean excitement, some peace and others something else.  But know, that no matter your emotions about this time of year, lean on the Joy;

Matthew 9:26

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

And during this season of busyness, crazy politicized greetings, commercialism and emotional upheaval: remember that if you are a Christian, this time of year is really about the birth of Jesus.  Emmanuel: God With Us!  

Why Christmas Trees?

This is our little fake tree this year. Don't mind the mess around it, this is how we live. Also, you see the ghost hanging to the right? Well instead of telling you that it's a left over Halloween decoration I prefer to call it the Ghost of Christmas past.

When do you put your Christmas tree up or do you even have one?  

Depending on where you live and how you were brought up makes a difference on this holiday tradition.

Up until our son was born I didn't really care with finding out exactly what was with all these traditions.  I just went with the flow.  Growing up we would usually put ours up the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Some years it was a fake tree but mostly it was a real one.  It was a constant mess to try to keep the cats away from knocking down the tree and ensuring they didn't eat any tinsel(for cat owners you know what I mean 😉). We had a lot of Siamese cats growing up, my mother used to breed them.  So we did a lot of wrangling at times.

Ever wonder about the history of the Christmas tree?  Here's some information from one of my favorite sites History.com.

However you do this tradition or don't, I wanted to share with you how as a Christian a simple Christmas Tree or branch can exhibit the characteristics of Christ.


***The following are excerpts(paraphrased) from one of my favorite books: Stories Behind The Great Traditions of Christmas by Ace Collins

Even for those who didn't know about or believe in Jesus, in what is now Scandinavia, the vikings would have brutal winters. They would often bring in evergreen branches as a sign of hope and strength to get them through those harsh times. The evergreens not only survived the winter but also seemed to thrive when times were most bleak.  Many other people groups throughout Europe has somewhat of the same tradition. 

In the seventh century, St Boniface, a monk from Crediton, Devonshire, England constantly traveled across Europe as a missionary. It has been written that on one of his many treks he came across a group of men that were gathered around a huge oak tree. One of them had a small boy with them that had been selected to be given as sacrifice to the god Thor. When Boniface saw what was happening, he demanded that it stop at once. When they refused, he walked up to the huge oak and struck it with his fist. In an act seen as a miracle, the oak shuddered and fell to the ground. As everything settled, a tiny fir tree became visible just behind where the oak tree has stood tall. Boniface pointed out the fir tree, explaining that the evergreen was the Tree of Life. He explained to them that the evergreen tree that even winter couldn't kill, stood for the eternal life offered to them by Christ. Then pointed out the triangle shape of tree and stated that the fir's three points stood for the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Each of those men supposedly gave their lives to Christ right there where that little tree stood.  Five centuries later this story became legend throughout France and Germany, where evergreen trees were hung from ceilings as a symbol of Christianity. No one really knows why they were hung upside down.

In the 1500's Martin Luther was walking home one dark night and noticed how the stars shined brightly through the evergreen trees. He went home and tried to re-create that in his home by attaching candles to a tree. It is believed that this is how adding lights to the Christmas tree became a tradition. 

For what is Christmas if not about a savior being birthed into the world to be the Light of the world.

John 8:12

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

How do you FEEL about the month of December?

This time of year, especially in the Northeast where I live, it's hard to not feel cold and a little bit off.  We often have fall/winter weather that bounces around like one of those old fashioned bouncy balls I had when I was a kid.  One day it's nice and warm(50s) and sunny and the next day it's biting cold and windy with frost everywhere. Enter in the lack of sun, the change in weather that isn't consistent and the obligatory cold that my youngest brings home from school and presto-the above photo is how I FEEL about December.  Yes, it's beautiful in it's own way. The colors contrast nicely, the change of seasons are a beauty to behold, BUT it makes me feel cold inside.

As a child I don't remember feeling this way until my parents got divorced, when everything went topsy-turvy. There were arguments about who would see who on what days and money was hard for quite awhile after that. Things didn't seem merry and bright like they did when I was about 6.  When people ask me what age I would like to return to, I always think right around 6 would be nice.  When you notice your parents arguments but for the most part you are able to escape into childhood blissfully and play all day long, explore the world from little eyes, show awe in every new thing you see and learn about.  Dance like nobody is watching, or at least don't understand enough to care that someone is watching.  You know that feeling I am talking about?

Holidays became a dark , depressing time of year for me.  I can look back and see that now and see how it has affected my holiday spirit. It's a hard thing to get over and it's a struggle each and every day from Halloween on through New Years.

This is how I really want to feel:

All bright and cheery.  But I know that I am not alone in these feelings, and that is sad.  

So, where am I going with this?

I want everyone who is reading this to understand that if you are like me you are not alone.  If you aren't like me and find brightness and cheer in this season that is AWESOME, just beware that there are others who have a hard time and try to do for something for them to help make them feel better.  Sometimes this means just letting them be after letting them know you are there if they need you and other times it means doing something small for that someone or something you may not know.  Prayer is always a good idea as well.

In this first week of Advent it is the week of Hope.  As a christian we have HOPE and that is something that can be held onto anytime of the year and through any circumstance.  It doesn't mean it will be easier but it does mean that we have something to hold onto until it gets easier.  Jesus is our hope.

1 Peter 1:3

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” 

What can we do to refocus on what's important during this season?

This is going to look different for each of us. Since our son was small we instituted a couple of traditions in our family for this season.  

1. We only give 3 gifts to each child.  One for fun, one for learning and one for spiritual growth.

2. We make either a cake or cupcakes and on Christmas Eve afternoon/night we light a candle and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

There are a lot of great Advent Calendars or activities to do with kids or for yourself.  Just go ahead and search for them online.  There are so many it's a bit overwhelming.  So I suggest you find something to fits your schedule and don't stress over if you miss a day or even a week.  Start small and go from there.

If you, like me, struggle with the whole Santa Claus thing over taking Jesus during this season: re-focus on Jesus with your kids.  Santa can be a fun thing and I'm not saying you shouldn't do that whole thing, but if Christmas is supposed to be about Jesus' birth then re-focusing helps.

Sometimes all it takes is getting into a Christmas Devotional and working your way through the scriptures towards the Nativity.  

Right now I am checking out Max Lucado's video devotional for Advent called Because of Bethlehem. You can sign up for the free downloads and check it out here.

This month on my blog I am going to try to share some ideas and thoughts with you. I am going to give myself a lot of leeway, so if you don't see many posts you'll know why.  But keep an eye out on my Facebook page as I might share things there instead of an entire blog post I've written myself.

Below is a song by Hillsong that really touches my heart this time of year.  My wish is that one day I can be bright and cheery like the photo above, but until then I will be more like this burning fire and I can still say that my HOPE is in JESUS.