I have a confession to make, folks. It's taken me a while to build up the courage to actually admit to it, especially since I was raised Catholic, but here it goes.
I am a big fan of the commercialization of Christmas. I love going into stores, looking at all the ornaments, lights, trees, big blow-up Penguins and Polar bears, and simply feeling like I am in a Winter Wonderland. I love watching all kinds of Christmas videos and listening to Christmas carols, even before Thanksgiving. Not constantly, though, but just a smattering here and there. Heck, I'll even listen to Christmas songs in March or August.
Please don't take this the wrong way. There are things I do NOT like about Christmas being commercialized. It's a little disheartening to go into a store looking for Christmas cards with a nice nativity on them to only find cards with Santa stuck in a chimney. I do not like Christmas becoming all about money. I especially hate commercials that imply you should be spending a bunch of dough or else it's not really Christmas. (Lexus commercials, I'm talking about you...who finds bows and boxes that big anyway?)
But I think there are a lot of good things that come from Christmas being such a "commercial" phenomenon. It teaches giving and thinking about others. Rarely, if ever, is there another time during the year that consumers are so willing to throw caution to the wind to find that perfect gift for someone who they love. Think about that the next time you are in a crowded store, aggravated with the long lines. Think about the motivation the other people have to be in that line. It's all about giving and showing someone else that they care. And no one was better at that than Christ. Granted, Jesus wasn't in Macy's maxing out credit cards, but when we give a gift we are fulfilling a Christian precept. The Three Kings gave gifts to baby Jesus. Jesus gave the ultimate gift of his life. A lot of us will not be called to give our lives, so we can emmulate Jesus by giving small things of ourselves, including Christmas gifts. Even the people who would prefer to celebrate "Winter Solstice Day," if they are giving a gift they are learning about what it means to be Christ-like.
I also think, in a round-about way maybe, it teaches people to slow down and enjoy life's gifts. There's so much hustle and bustle around the Christmas season, but when the day comes, it's a time to simply sit back and enjoy all the hard work put into finding those perfect gifts. It's time to be a kid at heart and find joy in the small things in life. Even if it's for the smallest moment, we experience that on Christmas day, even those who don't celebrate it for "religious" reasons. Everyone is off work. Family and friends become the true center of the day, as everyday should be.
I hope that I can continue to enjoy all the hype that Christmas receives. I also hope that while enjoying that aspect of the season, I never forget the true meaning behind the celebrations. It's to remember the day when the Savior came into this world as a baby, the same way all of us did, but in much more humble circumstances. It's to reflect on what that small baby would do for the salvation of the world in just 30 some-odd years. It's to be grateful that we have a God who loves us so much that he would give us a human Savior to whom we can all relate. It's really another Thanksgiving, and I want to be thankful that this holiday (HOLY-DAY) is celebrated by so many!
**A note on the Catholic comment up top...this Sunday starts the season of advent, which is a season of preparation. It's a little bit of a somber time, time for reflection and prayer before the big event. Catholic churches aren't decorated until the week of Christmas and then stay decorated until the celebration of the Baptism of Jesus on January 12th. (The end used to be the Epiphany on January 8th, but that changed recently.) So the pomp and circumstance of the season has usually started a little later on in December for me. I love my Catholic faith, and you better believe any decorations we put up will stay up until January 12th. And baby Jesus won't be in the manger until the evening of December 24th. :)
You can get a bow from the Lexus dealer that you buy a car from. . . that is part of the campaign.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious, what makes it "all about money"? The size of the gift? Why is Lexus worse than Hershey's kisses? Because you can't afford the Lexus?
I'll answer the second question first. The Lexus thing upsets me because I think it's a bit inconsiderate to go out and spend a big chunk of money on a gift...gift implying that it is a surprise...implying that you and your loved one have not really, in-depth discussed the purchase. I guess it works for some people, but it would never work for me. I would never want Josh to go out and buy me any kind of car as a present, be it an Edsel or a Jaguar. A car purchase is something we should talk about at length, and I should be able to pick out exactly what I want. A gift should have some sort of surprise aspect to it.
ReplyDeleteI guess maybe I shouldn't say that it bugs me when it becomes "all about money." It bugs me when the focus of Christmas becomes about getting stuff. I don't like it when that stuff is something one doesn't really need/use and the person giving the gift can't really afford it. And underneath all the giving and getting, there needs to be there needs to be an understanding of what Christmas really is. It's a day to celebrate the only person who gave everything for all of us. And whether the gift is extravagant or meager, we give because we want to emmulate Him.
I hope that helps to explain some of what I mean.