What’s Christmas to Me?
I’d be lying if I didn’t say that Christmas for me has been about presents and fun holiday traditions.
There are certain things that make the holiday season and that’s that. It is what it is. If I didn’t have a tree up, if there weren’t presents or Christmas ham and eggnog- the works! If these things weren’t there at Christmas, it wouldn’t feel like Christmas to me. It just wouldn’t.
I honestly believe that for many, they would say it’s solely about giving rather than receiving or solely about the birth of Jesus. But if they had all of their Christmas traditions taken away, they would feel lost and empty.
For me the point of Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ. But still what matters most to me isn’t telling the story of Jesus as much as the time together with family. (I’m not saying that’s right!). If I wasn’t honest about that I’d be lying. I struggle to put Jesus as the focus and I honestly put in 5 mins of our Christmas day to read the Bible story.
My question is, where is Jesus in the midst of our Holiday traditions? In the midst of us exchanging gifts. In the midst of us indulging in delicious meals and celebrating… He’s still there, so long as you have a grateful heart toward Him.
It’s like when it’s my birthday- which is December 30th in case you were wondering.
I want the day to be all about celebrating me. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I did. But still in the midst of celebrating me, I also want to celebrate those in my life. It’s no fun if I’m the only one having a good time.
To be perfectly honest I don’t believe Jesus cares whether we have the tree up, or our homes decorated or gifts under the tree. But He cares about us having joy in our hearts.
Hebrews 12:2 says, “For the joy set before Him, he endured death on the cross”.
Jesus came down to this earth as a baby knowing He’d die for our sake. Knowing that we would be happier for this. Knowing that we would not have to worry about death being the end.
That’s cause for celebration! In what ever way you celebrate! Jesus describes Himself as the groom- our groom. He often talks about weddings as an analogy for celebrating His love. A wedding is probably the biggest party anyone throws in their lifetime.
So if Jesus is your reason for the season then celebrate. Don’t make it about the amount of gifts you get. Don’t make it about everything going perfectly. Celebrate being alive and having Him as your savior. Have fun! Enjoy your Christmas day! Have your holiday traditions. It’s His birthday party after all.
