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All I Want For Christmas... Is To Give More
Brian Mashburn
December 6, 2009
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All I Want For Christmas...
"What is Christmas all about?"
I asked this of my kids as they sat on the couch after we had a great time putting up our tree and decorating it.
"Presents!" they yelled, unanimously.
I couldn't get upset, really. They're right. Christmas is pretty much all about presents.
But I was a little disturbed that I hadn't done a better job of impressing upon them that there's more to it than that. So, not wanting to give up, I asked it a different way.
"Who is the main character of the Christmas season?"
"Santa!" said the fastest one, followed quickly by the other two correcting him with "Jesus!" after they saw my face wasn't satisfied with that. I guess our annual "make a birthday cake for Jesus" tradition just isn't enough to overshadow our nation's message that Christmas is primarily about gifts.
So...I'm reflecting. I've had 6 to 9 seasons to influence my 3 kid's perspectives. And even though his name is in the holiday's title, I'm losing the battle to define Christmas as Christ's.
Should Christians do something about this?
Enjoy your Christmas. Do your shopping. Give good and exciting gifts to your loved ones. I will. And I want you to, too.
But for the month of December, on Sunday mornings, let's view Christmas from inside the stable rather than from inside the mall. Let's be open to the idea that over the next 6-9 Christmas seasons, our holiday practices might should change. Maybe slightly, maybe dramatically. Ask your kids those questions and see.
In one his prayers, and completely consistent with the mixed message I've given him about this season, my youngest son sweetly prayed that Santa would get God a really great Christmas present this year, too.
Perhaps starting this year, you and I could be an answer to that prayer. Perhaps a really great Christmas present for God would be for us to evaluate our Christmas practices and be astutely aware of what we are doing and whether those practices honor Christ or Santa as the focus of the season.