CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS

In the last few years I haven’t had a very good attitude toward Christmas. As a matter of fact, the negative feelings about this wonderful holiday began when I became a Christian some thirty odd years ago. Each year I ask myself, “How can I get through all the messes of this time of year and really gain a new understanding about Jesus and His birthday?” So far I have had only partial success, at best.

When I was a child, of course there was that amazing magical quality of Christmas that continued through my teenage years. And when we married and had children, we enjoyed watching them experience that same magic. Somewhere along the way during my adult years, I became frustrated with the busy-ness of the season and I just wanted to say, “Whoa, stop this merry-go-round and let me off.” So what would it take for me to get the magic back and still be thankful for what the holiday is all about?

For one thing, I love the Christmas decorations, especially the lights, but I don’t want to go to the trouble to put them up and take them down. It’s not an option to leave them up all year – that’s too redneck for the genius. And it’s too expensive to hire someone. So maybe I’ll invite the grandchildren over to help.

The second thing that would help is for me to play GOOD Christmas music, not these “I saw Mama kissing Santa Claus” jingles. The Messiah or other classical Christmas songs would help tremendously. Nothing makes me want to leave a store or mall more quickly than to hear the same holiday trash songs. So I’ll shop online and listen to my music at home.

And finally, I can try to concentrate on my relationship with the One whose birthday we are honoring, even though it was not on December 25. Above all, this is certainly what I desire; I pray that it will be done.