Where are you, Christmas?

As I get swept up with all of the commercialized "holiday" greetings, and am consumed with the materialism of this world surrounding the Christmas season, I like Cindy Lou Who in "The Grinch", am starting to wonder where Christmas is. I miss Christmas and it can be so easy to get caught up in the commercialism of today and miss it altogether. The media would have you believe that Christmas is all about getting gifts, putting up decorations, and Santa Clause. While none of those things are bad in themselves they really are starting to become too much. Oh and even to say Merry Christmas to someone is not politically correct and it may offend someone. It doesn't seem that the culture cares about offending anyone over Santa Clause or how everywhere you turn during this season you see advertisements for something else someone else is selling, you just have to have for yourself or your friend Susie etc. But it's not ok for someone to be offended about Christmas. Well big news to everyone out there- there would be no Santa Clause, gift giving, decorations and more without first having Christmas. Whether people want to believe it or not, that is why they do most of the things they do around this time of year. People are just not doing them for the right reasons. Neighbors try to outdo each other in light displays, parents try to battle against each other to see who will give their kids the best gifts, and there is way too much of a hype over some fat guy with a beard in a red and white suit.

Point is: it really isn't Christmas as it should be anymore. Perhaps it isn't entirely wrong for someone to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas, because they don't even celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. And perhaps instead of asking "Where are you, Christmas?", I should be asking "Where are you, Christ?" Because Christ is what CHRISTmas is truly all about. It's not about a guy who lives in the North Pole with 8 reindeer to pull his sleigh to bring presents too all the good little boys and girls across the world. To be honest, if as many children knew that God was always watching them and were as concerned for living right in the sight of the Lord as they believe Santa always watches them and try to be good for him- we would have a changed nation.


Truth of the matter is we were separated from God by our sin and had no way to get to Him. God had mercy on us and decided to send His only Son, Jesus Christ into this world as a babe in a lowly manger to show that He was fully man and then showed us that Jesus was also fully God in that He could not sin. God sent Jesus Christ to bridge the gap between God and us by way of Jesus dying for our sins on a cross 2,000 years ago. But the bridge forming didn't begin at the cross, that was where it ended and the ultimate sacrifice was made once and for all. The bridge forming began with the birth of Jesus one night long ago in a manger where shepherds came to marvel and worship the birth of a king. Where angels declared the glory of God and that peace had come to man in the birth of this child. Celebrating Christ and his birth- in other words, his birthday, is what Christmas is all about.


For once I wish to have a Christmas where the true meaning is not forgotten and instead of hearing people sing "Here Come Santa Clause", they are singing "Happy Birthday" to the Savior of the world and remembering that one day He is coming back to take those who believe in Him to heaven with Him in order to live with Him there. That's what Christmas is all about.