What Is Endearing
About Christmas?
What is it
about Christmas that endears us so much? If you step back and look down on it
like the ghosts in Scrooge gave Ebenezer an opportunity to do, what jumps out
at you and warms your heart about this time of year? It is called the “Christmas season” or the
“Holiday Season”. It is the busiest time of year with three well-celebrated
holidays crammed into about 35-40 days. We run around making preparations for
these special occasions. We dress up in our finest clothes and we go out to
church plays and musicals, to parties, to community and family events, etc.
And…after the fun is all over we are exhausted and a little depressed at the
same time. Why did Ebenezer lose the magic of Christmas and what is it really
all about?
Why Celebrate In
Such A Magnificent Way?
God knows
everything even before it happens. So, I have to believe that He knew how
commercialized the holiday set aside to celebrate His Son’s birth would become.
Have you ever considered that Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays
around the world? Why? What makes it so incredibly special? We sing songs about
it, we buy gifts for family and friends, and we have traditions that are
carried on from generation to generation. Christmas is fun and nostalgic, but
is that the only reason we place so much emphasis on December 25th?
During the
Christmas season, the general population seems more frazzled and yet more
generous. People seem more hurried and yet more compassionate. Families seem
more a part and yet more together. Everything seems to have a greater emphasis
– the good and the bad. When you think of Christmas what is the first thing
that pops into your mind? Do you think of it as a dread because your already
busy schedule will become impossible to follow? Or do you think of it with
anxious anticipation as you look forward to decorating the house with twinkling
lights and seasonal décor, attending ugly Christmas sweater parties,
participating in cookie swaps, shopping for loved ones, and traveling to see
those that are near and dear to your heart? I must admit…honestly, I have felt
both ways at different times. When I begin feeling frazzled and hurried, it is
because I have put too much emphasis on the wrong activities. Instead of
remembering that the real reason Christmas is celebrated, I choose to focus on
commercialism. Celebrating the secular aspects of the holiday is fine, but all
of the preparation and activities and the events should not take the place of remembering
that Christmas is really about our Savior’s birth. He came to earth to save the
world of its sin. He would still have come even if you or me or anyone on the
planet had been the only one who needed salvation. That in-and-of-itself is
amazing beyond comprehension.
The Magic Of
Christmas
Through life
experience, I have come to realize that balance is key in most areas of life. I
believe this is true in celebrating our beloved holiday that we call Christmas.
I love Christmas music – secular and Christian! I enjoy
buying and giving gifts to those I love. It is fun to go to parties, events,
etc. and I do! I love my Christmas tree so much that I turn it on every morning
as soon as I wake up. And, honestly, I almost mourn when I finally have to take
it down. It adds a sparkle to my living area that nothing else can give.
Christmas is a magical and exciting time of year. There is nothing more
precious than seeing the wonder in a child’s eyes as he/she waits anxiously for
Santa to arrive. Does that taint their ability to also know the true meaning of
why Christmas is celebrated? Some may
think so, but I believe that it does not! If Jesus is the center of the home
and the most emphasis is placed on our Savior’s birth and a little fantasy is
sprinkled into the celebration along with it, the wonder of it all creates
awesome family memories and traditions that might be carried on through
generations to come.
So…what makes your
Christmas magically balanced? Please
share ways your family celebrates the Christmas
season.
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