(Okayyy I know there are only 2 days til Christmas… I forgot to post this last week but there are some ideas you can still apply!!)
I heard a statistic on the radio yesterday that struck me as alarming and depressing. It was something along the lines of “90% of people would say they are more stressed than joyful during the Christmas holiday season.”
Quite frankly I think we’ve completely missed the point. Why do we celebrate Christmas? What’s the purpose? Based on literally everything you see in the media, everything you see while you’re driving, everything you hear on the radio, a foreigner may think we celebrate a fat man in a red suit with imaginary flying reindeer. That parents enjoy spending small fortunes on toys that their kids will either destroy or be bored with in two months. That a small stuffed Elf is magical and creates mischief every day yet somehow teaches our kids not to create mischief. That children should behave because a stuffed elf is watching their every move (creepy) and Santa watches them while they’re sleeping and they will only get gifts if they are nice to their siblings.
Wow… that’s exhausting just to read. I’m not saying all of those things are bad (to my friends with Elf on the Shelf.. I still love you). In fact, we incorporate some of those things in our own home. (some, not all 🙂 ). The problem is that for the most part, we are leaving out the sole purpose of the Christmas season. Attending one church service on Christmas Eve is not enough to teach your children and remind yourself why we do what we do. Cleaning out your kids’ toys to make room for new toys isn’t enough to teach them why we celebrate Christmas. Even doing a single service project as a family (while it’s a super awesome idea!!) is not enough to truly teach your children/remind yourself/show the world why we celebrate this season.
Full disclosure, I’m so incredibly guilty of getting caught up in the fluff around Christmas. I love giving (and receiving!!) gifts. I love shopping and going to the mall just to be in the middle of the chaos. I decorate every square inch of my house. (Okay that’s not true anymore because I have toddlers and they destroy everything in reach, but you should’ve seen our old house… you’d totally judge me.) I love baking and cooking for parties and events. But I’m also very aware that my children are basically jello molds. Whatever I focus most on is what they will focus most on. Not only are my children watching me, but everyone I come in contact each day either in person or through social media. I hope that they see more than Christmas fluff.
So how can we do that? How can a very few of us change the way we celebrate Christmas? For starters, I’d recommend doing an Advent study for a daily reminder of Who we are celebrating. (On that note, we should be doing this year round but that’s a whole other thing I won’t go into right now.) There are some really awesome advent studies available in so many different forms. I have one through an app on my phone that I can access anywhere. I also have a hard copy book to read at home. These studies are so incredible because they go so much deeper than just the typical “Baby Jesus in a Manger” story. There are also some really sweet family advent studies to do with your children.
Some other practical ideas might be to have intentional conversations with your children about why we give gifts to each other. Teach them that Jesus gave us the ultimate gift by coming to Earth and dying for our sins so that we could live in eternity with Him. That He is so much more than a baby in a manger. His gift enables us to love on others and choose gifts we think they might like. It’s not about getting the most awesome toy so that your child can idolize it; rather it’s about choosing something that brings someone else joy from the spirit of giving. If shopping for gifts is stressful, have conversations about alternative options. My parents have elected not to receive gifts from any of their children; instead they ask us to donate to Samaritan’s Purse in their honor. My siblings and I choose to go out and spend a fun evening with each other as opposed to gifting.
Consider evaluating how many manger scenes you have decorating your house versus the number of fake Santas or snowmen. Consider the focus of the parties you are attending or hosting. Consider what your kids are clinging tighter to: Santa’s arrival on Christmas morning or celebrating the arrival of Christ’s first coming?
The point of this post is not to condemn anyone or make you feel guilty about the gift’s you’ve purchased. My hope is that you will simply consider what you’re focusing on during this Christmas season. What are your children focusing on? What do your neighbors think you’re celebrating?
I just remembered that I wrote a similar post a few years ago… definitely a topic I still need to remind myself of every year.