What We Can Learn From All The Things We Hate About Christmas or How Amazon Can't Kill Christmas

“It’s become all about the presents! So. sad,” you’ll hear people complain.

“I’m so sick of hearing ‘Happy Holidays!’ It takes the Christ out of Christmas!”

“The lines and traffic are terrible, and there’s so much to do!” others exclaim.

“Everything is Santa, Santa, Santa. Why can’t we get back to the true meaning of Christmas?”

I believe that these common complaints when looked at with a new perspective can become a delightful reminder about how Christmas changed the world forever.

Yes, It’s All About the Presents

It’s all about the presents because on Christmas Day the world was given the greatest gift in all of history. Not just baby Jesus in a manger, but a Savior who would deliver us from sin and death, and reconcile us to the only relationship in our lives that really matters: the one between us and our Creator. We are made in His image and we are imitating God’s goodness and generosity when we give gifts to one another.

I think we especially complain about the little gifts we must purchase. You know, the ones for co-workers, and teachers and mailmen. But the truth is that those are the gifts most effective for communicating this Christmas Good News. We are offering community outside our Christian biosphere as an act of love and thoughtful generosity. After all, “God so loved THE WORLD that He GAVE…”

Holiday Really Means Holy Day

In an effort to de-Christianize Christmas, the unbelieving world has given us a great gift! They have reminded us that this season is full of Holy Days; days to remember to be grateful for all that God has blessed us with, days to remember His greatest gift in becoming God in the flesh, and even a day to celebrate a fresh start of a new year. Instead of rejecting Happy Holidays, let’s embrace the phrase. We can even allow it to invite us in deeper than we ever have gone before in our celebration of the birth of our Savior!

The Holiday Rush

The Holiday rush proves nothing more than a Holy Day longing. Recently at Church on the Move, we were encouraged to slow down, prepare our hearts and to wait expectantly. It was a wonderful and thought provoking sermon. I did find it ironic that it came from a man. Men aren’t all that responsible to make Christmas “happen”. However, the sentiment is the same no matter who you are, because as you slow down and watch the world in a Christmas frenzy, you’ll see people longing. Longing for what only Jesus can bring, and this is reason for celebration! Because as I was reminded in another recent Christmas sermon, in the middle of a world that wants to argue about everything, debate over any belief system whatsoever, everyone seems to take a break during December and pick up mantras like “Believe again!” So, instead of getting frustrated at long lines and bad traffic, see the congestion as an opportunity to pray for those around you. They are longing for something to believe in, and there may not be a better time of year than Christmas time for them to be aware of this longing.

Santa Was A Saint, Not A Demon

I remember back in the day when I was raising my kids, it was popular amongst Evangelical Christians to demonize Santa as “Satan’s Claws” because he was taking all of the glory away from Jesus. As someone who tutors at a public school, I would gladly welcome Santa back into the equation. Why? Because instead of Christmas trees and Santa, we now have Winter Celebrations and Winter Break. If one does a little research into St. Nicholas, you’ll find the story of a Christian martyr who loved children and giving gifts as an outflow of his Christianity. Perhaps even more compelling effect that Santa has had on the world is the fact that at Christmas time people are willing to give the credit for their generosity and good works to someone other than themselves: an act of total anonymity and humility.

Amazon Can’t Kill Christmas

As many of you know, I recently moved from the Chicago area to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I am sorry to say that my family has struggled to feel “Christmasy” in the face of 60 degree days in December! There is very little chance of snow or even cold for that matter. As usual, I avoided much of the Christmas rush by ordering presents from Amazon. It’s so convenient to order online without the hustle and bustle of shopping in stores. Yesterday, mom and I went to do a little shopping out in real brick and mortar stores, with real people. There is something to be said about the community of shopping in community. Smiles were exchanged, well wishes given. Christmas music and lights adorned every window and every store. Even though the thermometer was pushing 50 degrees, we came home energized and full of good will. The more isolated we become, convenient though it may be, the more despondent we are about the Good News. It’s for everyone! That’s what the celebration is all about! If we are holed up in our little homes with as little as possible contact with the rest of the human race, the very human race that Jesus humbled Himself to become part of, then we are losing the Message altogether. Go ahead and order online, just make sure to see the people God so loved that He gave His only Son to at the grocery store and at Starbucks. Be in community because that is what we celebrate this time of year, God came and became a part of our community.

So Happy Holidays, friends! Slow down and recognize your longing and the world reaching for what they may not know. Be the Light and shine His generous love everywhere you go!