Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Nov/91

Contributor - Mary Van Essen

Title - Let Christmas Be Christmas

Topic - Christmas

Not long ago my two year old daughter, Kara, asked me, "Mommy, did I get my farm set for my birthday?" I replied, "No, honey, you got it for Christmas last year."

Christmas was a new word for Kara. She was not quite two last year and had no clear memories of the festivities. This year would be different. This Christmas she may well remember. And it suddenly dawned on me that, from what I had said, her first impression of Christmas was of getting gifts.

The question I found myself asking was, "How do I want my children to view Christmas - as a worldly festivity with the focus on Santa Claus and gifts, or as a time of rejoicing at the birth of Christ?" Is it truly possible to have it both ways? I've heard many people say, "O, Santa Claus does no harm. You have to have some fun, you know."

I grew up believing in Santa Claus. He and the gifts he brought were definitely the highlight of my Christmas. Sure, I went to church with my family and I knew the Christmas story. But if I had had to choose between Jesus and Santa Claus, I'm afraid Santa would have probably won out.

The truth is, we Christians are too much caught up in the festivities of a world that can't truly celebrate the birth of Christ. So it has replaced Christ with Santa Claus to give it reason to celebrate, although it may still pay lip service to Jesus's birth.

I fear we are like the Israelites, who wanted the benefits of worshipping God, but also of worshipping an the other gods of the society in which they lived. The prophets of the Old Testament are quite clear: you can't have it both ways. And as God spoke in His ten commandments: "You shall have no other gods before me ... for I the Lord your God am a jealous God . . ." I can't help but think our Lord would not be pleased with the way we celebrate Christmas, with an emphasis on worldly things.

But that doesn't mean God doesn't want us to have fun! He does want us to rejoice together in celebrating the gift of His Son. But how do we do that in a Christian way? How can we put Christ first in the minds of our children?

First, we can't be legalistic. Each family needs to humbly examine before God the way it celebrates Christmas. Our family is still struggling with what we should do and when we should do it. But we do need to be open to the Spirit's leading and be prepared to stand apart from the rest of society.

Here are some basic Christ-centred ideas I hope to incorporate into our family Christmas.

* Have regular times of carol singing and Bible story reading throughout the Advent and Christmas seasons.

* Assemble a manger scene and give it prominent display.

* Use an Advent wreath as the centre piece of the dinner table on Sunday and have special readings with each new candle lit.

* Emphasize the giving, rather than the receiving of gifts, with special focus on the precious gift God gave us. Gifts need not be expensive, a hand made item (a small child could give picture he or she has drawn or coloured) or a service to be rendered (buying groceries or cleaning for an elderly person) are gifts often more ap predated. Gifts could be given before December 25 so that minds would b focused more on worshipping God an fellowshipping with our families o Christmas Day.

* Other things we associate with Christmas, like decorating the house, baking special treats and sending greeting cards are fun to do. However if they become a burden, we should think about ways to deal with the Could we start our preparation earlier? Could we send New Year' cards instead? Could we cut down o the amount we do?

* Christmas can be a lonely time for those without family? Is there someone we could invite to join in at least part of our family's festivities?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us rejoice in the birth of our Lord Christmas. For we, unlike the world truly have a reason to celebrate.

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