Ho, Ho, Ho or Gobble, Gobble, Gobble?
I love Christmas. It is probably my favorite holiday of all. I love the decorations, music, food, and festivities. I love seeing the expressions on my boys faces Christmas morning. I love the Christmas children's services at church. I love listening to the Christmas story as told in the Gospel of Luke. (King James version only please! It's the best!) I love Charlie Brown's Christmas, and the fact that a show that emphasizes the true meaning of Christmas (i.e., the birth of Jesus) can be show on network television, during primetime, year after year. I love the hope that Christmas brings. Heck, I even like those kitschy Christmas sweaters!
What I do not like is when the boundaries of Christmas are pushed and pushed.
We've all been to the stores and seen Christmas displays in late summer. That's usually when Hallmark starts selling ornaments. The Toys R Us Big Toy Book arrived last week with our morning newspaper.
And now this weekend, at least two of our local radio stations have started playing Christmas music all day on weekends. On November 4th.
I think that the more Christmas is extended in to the rest of the year, the more we lose the emphasis on the true meaning of Christmas. How many people are really already thinking about the birth of Jesus? Not many, I'm sure. We're still focused on what we're going to do with all that Halloween candy the kids collected, and putting away our Halloween decorations. We're thinking about Thanksgiving, what to make to eat this year, and who to share the holiday with. We're thinking about the elections that take place in a few days. But we're not thinking about the birth of Jesus.
So a little information for those who may need a lesson in the Christmas season...
Christians start preparing for the birth of Jesus on the first Sunday of Advent. This occurs four Sundays prior to Christmas Day. This year, it falls on December 3rd. For my family, this has always been when the decorations, tree, and lights go up. Definitely no earlier, and usually no later.
For the next four weeks, we will prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and also anticipating His return. Many Christians use an Advent Calendar, Jesse Tree, or Advent Wreath to count down the days.
On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we begin celebrating the birth of Jesus with services at the church. On Christmas morning, the most important thing to our family is the placing of Baby Jesus in our Nativity creche. Before opening gifts, we must remember what Christmas is really about!
Christmas Season actually continues for 12 more days, until Epiphany. Here we celebrate the visit of the Magi, and the revelation of Jesus to the Gentiles.
So now that you know what Christmas is really about. It's time to wait. Enjoy your other holidays this month. Think about who you will vote for on Tuesday. Prepare for Thanksgiving. (And certainly we have much to be thankful for, let's not forget that!) And then when December rolls around, fully celebrate and enjoy the wonder of Christmas!
As for me, I'll have to find different radio stations for the next month. I just don't want to hear "Ho, ho, ho" when I'm thinking, "Gobble, gobble, gobble"!
What I do not like is when the boundaries of Christmas are pushed and pushed.
We've all been to the stores and seen Christmas displays in late summer. That's usually when Hallmark starts selling ornaments. The Toys R Us Big Toy Book arrived last week with our morning newspaper.
And now this weekend, at least two of our local radio stations have started playing Christmas music all day on weekends. On November 4th.
I think that the more Christmas is extended in to the rest of the year, the more we lose the emphasis on the true meaning of Christmas. How many people are really already thinking about the birth of Jesus? Not many, I'm sure. We're still focused on what we're going to do with all that Halloween candy the kids collected, and putting away our Halloween decorations. We're thinking about Thanksgiving, what to make to eat this year, and who to share the holiday with. We're thinking about the elections that take place in a few days. But we're not thinking about the birth of Jesus.
So a little information for those who may need a lesson in the Christmas season...
Christians start preparing for the birth of Jesus on the first Sunday of Advent. This occurs four Sundays prior to Christmas Day. This year, it falls on December 3rd. For my family, this has always been when the decorations, tree, and lights go up. Definitely no earlier, and usually no later.
For the next four weeks, we will prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and also anticipating His return. Many Christians use an Advent Calendar, Jesse Tree, or Advent Wreath to count down the days.
On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we begin celebrating the birth of Jesus with services at the church. On Christmas morning, the most important thing to our family is the placing of Baby Jesus in our Nativity creche. Before opening gifts, we must remember what Christmas is really about!
Christmas Season actually continues for 12 more days, until Epiphany. Here we celebrate the visit of the Magi, and the revelation of Jesus to the Gentiles.
So now that you know what Christmas is really about. It's time to wait. Enjoy your other holidays this month. Think about who you will vote for on Tuesday. Prepare for Thanksgiving. (And certainly we have much to be thankful for, let's not forget that!) And then when December rolls around, fully celebrate and enjoy the wonder of Christmas!
As for me, I'll have to find different radio stations for the next month. I just don't want to hear "Ho, ho, ho" when I'm thinking, "Gobble, gobble, gobble"!
posted by Susan | 10:46 AM
1 Comments:
I hear ya. Maybe society loves Christmas so much because we are too mean and nasty the rest of the year. Maybe we should try to keep some of the spirit, without cutting into the specialness of Christmas, all year round.
Lisa
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