Sleigh or Train?
Are those lights a sleigh or a train?
“After coming into the
house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and
worshiped Him. Then opening their
treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” –Matthew 2:11 NAS
Recently I felt Christmas panic. It seems I feel Christmas panic every
year. Christmas panic for me means a
tight chest, swirling thoughts and curt responses. (I never said Christmas panic was holy). Christmas panic begins when members of our
extended family begin pressuring, I mean asking, my husband and I to provide “a
list” of what each of our children would like for Christmas. I practically need a flow chart to diagram
the gifts, and despite our pleas by December 26 the gifts seem OUT OF
CONTROL. I confess that part of this
stress is self-induced as I seek to make sure each family member has the
opportunity to give a gift of equal satisfaction without overlapping.
I have reminded our extended family that when we were kids,
the extended family provided a small gift, but Santa…Santa was the shining
star. Santa has a tougher time in this
era. Thinking of struggling Santa led me
to get in a tizzy about why it was hard to even think of things our kids would like this year since they have a sum
total of two passions; one passion which has to be constantly and consistently
contained (electronic entertainment).
Then I came across some blogs; one on materialism and
another on the true meaning of Christmas and how the writer’s family chooses to
simplify and make the season more Christ-centered. Boy did that sound good. Actually, it sounded great. I called my husband. I forwarded those blogs and said “Read
these. I’ll call back in an hour and
we’ll talk.” Remember, curt responses.
Man was I on fire. I
talked to three of my friends that day.
They were sharing the same gift allocation frustration. One friend declared she wanted to start a new
holiday just to celebrate what Jesus has done.
I practically screamed in the phone, “We have one, and the world has
hijacked it! We don’t need another
holiday! Believers must take back the one we have!” The three friends and I strategized how to
deal politely with the requests for “lists” and discussed perhaps it was time
to simplify by chunking the fantasy. It
was time.
And then I called my husband back.
He patiently and sweetly said he wanted to repeat back two
conversations of our morning. One was me
(the panicked, chunking the fantasy Mom) requesting he consider offering the
green light for the purchase of a 2nd artificial tree with new,
themed ornaments. The second (also me)
expressing (through gasps, stammers) horrified dismay that we would consider
the purchase of a certain item for Christmas that all 3 of our boys would enjoy
that ironically, cost exactly the
same as my tree/ornament estimate. He
wisely AND sweetly pointed out that while my delight was from decorating, the
delight of our boys comes from that type of item. Right.
Got it. Let me think about this
some more….
There are two Christmases I remember distinctly; the 5th
grade and the 8th grade. In
the 5th grade Santa brought me a small television for my bedroom
(keep in mind there weren’t very many channels then), my first picture books
about Princess Diana (I am a closet Anglophile) and Santa sent my cousin on the
most awesome scavenger hunt for her Christmas presents. We had such fun hunting!
I remember the 8th grade for a different
reason. Compelled by Christmas
anticipation (translation selfish greed), I searched the checkbook log for each
of my parents’ to determine in advance if all my dreams would come true. (Not sure I’ve ever told my parents this). On Christmas Day I performed a major acting
job to express surprise. It was the most
disappointing Christmas I ever had, and I received exactly what I hoped for.
Other Christmases were lovely. I have sweet memories from many of them. I remember the anticipation going to bed on
Christmas Eve. I remember Santa calling
while we were eating dinner at my great aunt’s every year on Christmas Eve to
speak to each child. I remember family
gatherings, lengthy travel, the Barbie Dream House, the Cabbage Patch Doll, the
coconut cake that awaited our arrival at my grandmother’s. I never liked coconut cake as a child. I remember several years ago my husband took
me to New York at Christmas and I stood before the freshly lit Rockefeller
Christmas tree and my eyes filled with tears.
New York City in December is the epitome of commercial Christmas
perfection; the window displays, the music, the lights. Amazing.
So how do we reconcile the sweet memories, the fantasy and
the spiritual? Is it even possible? Will eliminating the fantasy make my children
closer to Jesus; appreciating the season more?
Fantasy Need Not Overshadow
Eternity
Here’s the deal.
Christmas is about a relationship; a relationship with a Holy Infant who
became a Savior. As my relationship with
my Savior has deepened, so has my yearning to experience the true meaning of
Christmas. I am more passionate about
Christ in Christmas now than I was ten years ago and more passionate about
Christ in Christmas ten years ago than I was as a child.
As a child I soaked up the magic and fantasy of Christmas,
and I see no scarring on my faith. Enjoying
Christ in Christmas is about preparation; setting aside the time necessary for
my heart to experience the meaning of His birth. Time to experience Christ requires sacrifice
of good things – a party, an open house, a Messiah performance perhaps – to
focus on a personal relationship that began because you were born and Jesus
arrived.
What other time of year would you hear the name of Christ
mentioned in song on popular radio stations?
There are still good things happening even in the chaos and materialism
of our “holiday” culture.
Some Gifts are Hits
and Some Are Misses
You cannot tell me Mary’s eyes did not pop out when she saw
some Wise Men arrive and lay out gold!
Kind reader, Mary was not from the country club set. They brought gold!
I also imagine Mary was a little disturbed when embalming
spices showed up. She may have wanted to
tuck that “special gift” away until Jesus was a little older. Remember, Mary had been pondering these
things (Luke 2:19), but I don’t think she knew her infant was on the fast track
to torture and death. Embalming spices
were not quite the typical new baby gift I am guessing.
So dear extended family, please do not stress about the
“right” gift. The joy is in the in
giving the gift! Perhaps the answer for
me is to release the self-imposed responsibility to meet the persistent
requests of extended family though made with good intentions. And if the kids receive two sets of “Uno”
cards then so be it.
Take Time to Ponder
Much
is unknown about the Wise Men…how many there were, from where the came…but
scripture teaches they journeyed a long time for one purpose; to find the
Messiah. Their journey required special
packing to protect the precious gifts they planned to present. Though their journey was surely arduous it gave
them ample time to plan how they would respond when the finally arrived to meet
the Messiah. After all the travel and
all the time thinking their response was to fall down in worship.
Are
you more concerned about your special packages this Christmas and how they will
be presented? Are you spending more time
planning meals and table settings or falling down before the manger?
Keep
wrapping. Keep planning. Keep attending all the kids’
performances. BUT use the journey to
Christmas as a time to prepare to fall down.
HE is so worthy of our worship.
Jesus is the greatest gift. If
you spend time on your relationship with Jesus this Christmas season AND
modeling that relationship before your children then Santa doesn’t stand a
chance.
Blessings,
Nancy
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