Dec232011
12 Days of Christmas: Day 10, Jesus is the Reason
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PDFBeneath all the layers of Christmas, the lights, the gifts, the hustle and bustle and Silver Bells, lies the true meaning of Christmas: God’s greatest gift to humanity, his own Son. My 12 Days of Christmas series wouldn’t be complete without a reminder that Christmas, at its’ most elemental, is about Jesus. Somehow, bringing the focus back to Him puts all the other folderol in perspective. Christmas is about a very simple event, the birth of the Saviour.
As a parent, one of my goals for my family at this time of year is keeping a balance between the true meaning of Christmas and the highly marketed secular version of Christmas. In order for that to happen, I have to purposefully plan events that make it so.
For example, for the past two weeks, my kids have been using traditional Christmas carols for their daily copywork in order to learn the lyrics. I had become pretty disgusted that they knew the words to, “Rockin Around the Christmas Tree,” but had never even heard, ‘”O Little Town of Bethlehem”! When the kids were younger, we baked a small birthday cake for Jesus, lit a candle, and sang “Happy Birthday”. Every year we attend our church’s Christmas Eve candlelight service. We had to take the candle away from my daughter a few years back when she nearly caught my husband’s sweater on fire, but even at four years old, the sight of the darkened church filled with candlelight and a chorus of, “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” took her breath away.
A family read-aloud, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson is a great way to share the real story of Christmas.
What I love about bringing the focus back to the birth of Jesus is its’ simplicity. A carol, a candle, a few verses from the second chapter in the book of Luke all add up to a beautifully quiet moment filled with meaning and reflection on what is most important.
© 2011, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.
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R. Combs
I love your blog, thanks for writing!
Actually, the winter solstice is the reason for the season. The Christians co-opted the winter celebrations and altered them to fit in with their version of a redemption story. Why else would evergreen trees and Santa a part of the celebration?
It is a great a great time to reflect on the past year and make plans for the new year!
Happy Holidays!
TheSurvivalMom
So you seriously think there would be a CHRISTmas without the birth of Christ?
Danielle
http://www.crisismagazine.com/2011/christmas-paga…
The above linked article answers the "myth" that winter solstice is the reason for the season. I also think it's tacky when people are happy celebrating their holiday that you take the opportunity to say it's actually b.s. and then follow it up with Happy Holidays like it wasn't offensive. You aren't intellectual because you reject Christianity, as you apparently didn't have your facts straight with the winter solstice comment. You are, however, without class and ignorant.
Danielle
The story of Saint Nicholas (or Santa Claus) can be looked up very easily. He was a bishop who threw bags of gold coins down the chimney of a poor man who couldn't pay his daughters' dowries. Evergreen trees as a part of the Christmas celebration are actually a Christianization of a pagan tradition. St. Bernard was evangelizing the pagan Germanic tribes who worshiped tree gods. St. Bernard chopped down one of their trees to prove it was no deity and then told them to bring the decorated tree into their homes to celebrate the creator of the trees, not the tree itself. Mistletoe was actually used to ward off evil spirits in pagan cultures. Not sure how it came to be associated with kissing. The point is, there are many different aspects to Christmas tradition, some with origins in paganism, others straight out of Christian heritage. It is an acceptable Christian practice to celebrate the birth of our loving God who became man to dwell among us and deliver us from our sins. And if you are not Christian but still want to celebrate goodwill toward men in this time of year, that is also admirable, but it is hard to foster goodwill toward men when you piss on their beliefs with your own ignorance of history.
mormonknitter
Reading the actual story from Luke 2 is also a good idea… 8-), even portraying it is fun and makes the children feel special, as they welcome the baby Jesus …
Alicia
Ummmm you are in error. Jesus was CLEARLY NOT born December 25. This is a PAGAN teaching. As a 17 year old Christian to a mature Christian I cannot stress this enough. The Shepherds wouldn't be out leading animals in the middle of winter that's ludicrous!
LizLong
Were you in attendance? What date was it? I'm sure the entire Christian world would LOVE to have proof of the date. Lacking that, however, a date needed to be chosen and this is the date that was chosen. My husband and I often celebrate Valentine's and other holidays a week or so before or after the actual "date" due to scheduling. That doesn't mean it is any less heart-felt a celebration of it. Have you ever had a birthday party a few days before or after so it wasn't a school night? Same principal.
A date had to be chosen. Early Christians chose the winter solstice celebrations so their celebrations would blend in. That doesn't make it a pagan holiday. They just used the pagan holiday to hide theirs.
And, for what it's worth, I have read a lot of history and from what I've read their best modern guess is that his birthday was in April. But who needs a party in April? It's already turning to spring, warmer, and with more work. I think most of us need to remember God's love and light more in December, and what better way than to celebrate the birth of his son? No matter when he was actually born, December 25th is when we remember his birth. And that's not a pagan choice. It's a Christian one, and it always has been.
traumamamma
Alicia…have you ever been in the middle east on December 25? Pagan or not, it is the time chosen to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus.Should adopted refugee children not be allowed to celebrate a birthday, as the exact date of their birth is unknown? I appreciate that when you are 17 you know all there is to know (I, too, was once 17), and I understand that it appears that you were never taught to address your elders with respect, HOWEVER, my little one, it also appears that you have also never been around animals much, either. By the way, check the Weather Channel for the highs and lows in Jerusalem for the month of January….lows in the high 40's, highs in the upper 50's and 60's. I've surfed in colder weather here in Southern California. Survival skill #1…the first step to knowing everything is knowing that you know nothing. Be respectful.