Tis the Season

I love Christmas time- the tree, decorations, wrapped presents, music- everything about it. It's one time out of the year that my husband and I give our children gifts without much restraint. I have wonderful memories of Christmas as a child, and feel so blessed to now do the same for my own children. But it's funny- I am a strong believer in Christ, yet I feel like I view Christmas a little differently than most born-again Christians.

I grew up hearing the saying "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" and that the meaning of Christmas was not in presents, or decorations, but in a baby born one night long ago. Today many Christians are offfended by the greeting "Happy Holidays!" because it doesn't specifically acknowledge Christmas. This time of year has become very commercialized, with advertisements for the holiday starting in early October. This materialism in society has led many Christians to limit the amount of gifts they give- not based on finances, but based on a desire to emphasize the Savior's birth rather than materialism. Another part of the season rejected by many is Santa. He is considered evil by many because he is viewed as trying to take the place of Christ this time of year.

So, I'm taking a brave step here and, in numerical fashion, revealing my own take on Christmas. I say brave because I don't think these are views widely held among Christians. Ok, here it goes...

1. I'm not offended by the phrase Happy Holidays.
It doesn't even annoy me. I'm not afraid to say Merry Christmas back, by any means. To me- the great part about this country is that no one is forced to celebrate Christmas, or even to be merry about it.

2. I don't believe Santa is evil.
I think he can be pretty fun- there are lots of great movies out about him- Polar Express and Arthur Christmas are two of my current favorites. That said, I don't believe in lying to my children either, so when my older girls bluntly asked if he was real, I didn't shake in my boots and break out in a sweat wondering what to tell them. And they weren't devastated by my answer, because there hadn't been an elaborate display beforehand to keep the dream alive. We still leave out reindeer food and cookies, and visit him at the mall. But I don't glare at his image every time I see him, or fear that he is trying to take the place of Jesus. He doesn't have that much power, at least in our house.

3. I don't limit Christmas presents, unless you're talking in terms of a preset financial budget.
I hear lots of people say that if three gifts were good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for their kids. If that works for their family and it is their conviction to do so, I completely respect that. But that philosphy is not in this house. We don't buy our kids a lot of extras throughout the year, so this is one time of a sort of unbridled restraint. Watching their joy build up to Christmas day, anticipating the gifts they will receive- I have more fun than they do! Remember that joy you felt as a kid Christmas Eve?! This is the part of parenthood where it's ok to live vicariously through your kids! I remember myself being a compassionate, caring child who wanted to help others. Receiving Christmas gifts once a year didn't dilute me for the upcoming year and turn me into a selfish person only concerned with materialism. We are raising our children to be compassionate, and are serving their community by feeding the homeless and donating toys to underprivelaged children. Buying them Christmas presents once a year does not take those values away.

4. Jesus is not the reason for the season. (Sort of.)
Now, before you begin questioning my salvation, let me explain. First of all, Christmas itself was originally a pagan holiday. I am not intending to start a history debate-I'm not in the least interested, actually- but in my humble opinion, if one is to consider Halloween an evil holiday, one must consider that both Christmas and Easter once were pagan holidays, more so than Halloween in my view since at least that holiday was originally All Saints Day. Christmas and Easter in modern day is like making lemonade out of lemons, and is a wonderful way for Christians to unite in remembering our Savior. But celebrating and recognizing the literal Christmas season  is not a commandment from the Bible! He most likely wasn't even born this time of year. What the Bible does command, however, is to remember Jesus all the time. We won't be held accountable for how we celebrated December 25 and the surrounding days. We WILL be held accountable for how we celebrated God's Holy Son January 1st through December 31st. I want to be thankful for my Jesus every single day, and rejoice in His birth so often that when the day of his real birth rolls around unbeknownst to me, I've already given thanks that morning. I want to live out a life that acts as if it is Christmas every day.

So, as I sit here admiring my Christmas decorations, I am thanking my God in Heaven that He loved me so much that He sacrificed His own Son for me. Tell me, what more could He give?? Let's celebrate. Merry Christmas!