The older I get, and more importantly, the older my child{ren} get, the more intentional I become about getting down to the heart of things.
I’m on a mission to strip bare the froo-froo expectations and down-right selfishness this culture has not-so-subtly hammered into our minds and be free of the chaos.
Every hallmark holiday comes with the infamous opportunity to get further into debt and instill further into our minds that it’s all about us.
But it’s not.
And nothing has me more fired up than Christmas. Or, at least, the superficial blur of stress-inducing expectations and greedy wish-lists Christmas has become. Maybe we should rename it “Me-mas”, seeing Christ seems to have so little to do with what so many people celebrate.
And, while I’m on a role…what’s to celebrate about spending more money than we have on more stuff we don’t need, arguing about who’s house we’re going to eat at and putting our bodies through more stress than a colonoscopy conveniently offers, in the name of some fat dude in a red suit?
Just sayin’.
You see, I grew up in a family that didn’t have much money, so we were forced to get creative. Creative with ornaments and decorating, creative with meaningful, home-made presents, creative with finding time as a family to soak in what Christmas was really all about. And it was a delight. My parents weren’t stressed out trying to meet our self-centered expectations or strapped trying to accommodate our hefty wish-lists. They just were. It just was.
It was simple. It was sweet. Why, it was Christmas.
And I want that for my family now.
So…while I still fight the expectations I put on myself to buy presents for everyone I know {ridiculous really…as who needs more stuff? And who has that kind of money?} and to spend the same amount of money as other family members spend on each-other…I’m learning to release myself from that unimportant stuff and allow myself {and those around me} to bask in the beauty of what Christmas is ultimately about…Christ.
That’s all. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Yes, in celebrating His goodness and His generosity, I think it’s lovely to give gifts to others – where we can, when we can, in whatever fashion we can – but I’m not willing to miss out on the magic of the season in an effort to keep up with what our culture advertises as important. It’s just not.
And I’m finding a peace and a joy that I haven’t experienced around this time of year for a very, very long time.
This is what I want my daughter, and eventually my son, to understand about Christmas. The simplicity of family…hot chocolate around a beautifully lit tree…Christmas carols and the smell of freshly baked {badly assembled} cookies…winter white landscapes through steamy windows…snuggling a little closer in bed because you’re so cold you can’t feel your toes…getting excited about finding the perfect gift for a friend for $2 at a thrift store {rather than spending my time wondering what I might be getting out of the deal}…making a birthday cake for Jesus and reading the story of His birth on Christmas eve…the profound impact of buying a dollar coffee for the man who stands on the corner of the street near our house {despite the frigid temperatures} just to see him smile…serving meals to homeless families at a local church who may only get one warm, home-cooked meal every once in a great while…buying a soccer ball for the young boy who’s family is in upheaval and desperately wants to play, but can’t afford to. And it’s about making snowmen {or women} with your child no matter how badly you want to stay inside and not brave the cold, just because their excitement is so over-the-top that you can see it oozing off their face. And just because you can.
This, you see, is what Christmas is all about.
These are the things I want my family to associate with Christmas trees in stores, carols on the radio, and decorations in malls. And it all starts with me grasping the truth – the real reason we celebrate – and setting an example through a life that’s exudes peace, joy and a selfless excitement in this special season.
It’s about serving others, it’s about loving others, its about spending lavish time with family and friends and not expecting presents other than the gift of their presence in our lives. It may sound cheesy, but this truly is the desire of my heart.
Christmas is an opportunity to focus of what life is really all about…a time to thank God for sending His precious son from a place of majesty and royalty to be the helpless child of a lowly, Jewish girl.
From a throne to a stinky manger.
Just to get us back.
I think we got the best deal in town.
{Oh…and regarding the smoothie. I completely and utterly {accidently} screwed up yesterday. I ate half of a delicious 4-berry smoothie, knowing full well that it was loaded with ice-cream, simply because I was too embarrassed to say I didn’t want it after I had paid for it and the gal had put it together for me. But I swear I didn’t know there was ice-cream in it when I ordered it from the menu. Smoothies are supposed to have YOGHURT in them, not ice-cream, lady!}
So there.
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