On Keeping Christ In Christmas

I might lose some of you with this post...I love you anyway and thanks for coming with me on my journey this far.

I wrote earlier this month (click here for post) about some of the struggles I have with some of the Midwest American Christmas traditions.  Today's post is going to focus on the struggles I have as an American Christian at Christmas.

The story of my faith always begins with, "I wasn't raised in church."  My family has a faith but for various reasons we wove in and out of churches my whole life.  But never, NOT EVER, did my parents forget to remind us throughout the Christmas season that this celebration was about Jesus and His coming to Earth as a baby.  We always read the Christmas story from Luke and remembered Jesus on His day.

You know what else we did?  We had a Christmas tree.  We made popcorn strings and paper chains to put around our tree.  We made candy and cookies and bought presents.  We had Santa Claus AND St. Nicholas (when we were in Germany)...we left him the homemade cookies that we had slathered with hot pink frosting that was supposed to be red.  We read the T'was Night Before Christmas and watched The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.  We sang O Come All Ye Faithful and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.  Do you know what was wrong with those traditions?  Nothing.  Not one damn thing.

It irritates me when Christians get extra churchy at this time of year.  Keep Christ in CHRISTmas.  He's The Reason For The Season.  Santa is an anagram for Satan.  It's Merry Christmas...not Happy Holidays.  Our Christmas Card MUST have a picture of Jesus NOT some snowman...and CERTAINLY not Santa.  To me it's all Branson-y, hokey, propaganda.

For me, as an all-or-nothing thinker (thanks perfectionism), this pressure to be extra super duper Christian during Christmas makes me feel false guilt.  It pushes me to measure myself up to other believers and wonder why I am not as religious at  this time of year.  What is wrong with me?  Lots of things.  But guilt for doing Santa or buying my kids a toy instead of donating the money to African water wells does not belong on my shoulders.

Do I love Jesus?  YES!  I love Him from the depths of my guts.  He is my only Hope.  He loved me when I was His enemy and still loves me even when I fail.  When I die, I can only plead the Blood of Jesus as my reason for spending eternity with God.  I was never good enough...I will NEVER be good enough to be in the presence of God...except by the sacrifice of Jesus.  During this season I think about Him.  I wonder things about His birth...about His mom.  I wonder what He was like as a baby.  It's heartbreaking to think of a tiny baby sleeping in a dirty cow trough.  In a few years this little guy would shoulder the sin of eternity and purposely die a nasty, bloody, shameful death for no legal reason..but die so that I wouldn't have to be separated from God.

Is it possible to think on Him while I am setting out the Santa presents?  You BET it is!  Can I worship God as I sing O Holy Night and follow it up with Jingle Bells?  Yes.  Can I love Jesus and still say Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends?  Yes...yes I can.  

How do I keep Christ in Christmas?  I'm IN Him every day.  He is the reason I love.  He is the reason I serve.  He is the reason I give.  He is the reason I have whatever joy and peace I possess.   I can do those things without putting the nativity on my lawn each December.  I keep Christ in Christmas by keeping Him in all of the days of my life...not just the ones between Thanksgiving and New Year.

Merry Christmas!
I love all y'all.