Just the two of us.

I used to think Christmas was all about family but my mind is starting to change. I think that’s a cultural thing, not a true meaning of the holiday. We market Christmas as a time of giving, a time to see old friends and reunite with family and big gathers. But as your family starts to disappear that begins to change. Kathy’s Parents are both gone, my dad died last January and Christmas seems to be changing or maybe for the first time in my life I’m starting to see what it truly is supposed to be about.

As a kid I lived for Christmas. It was the one of the things my dad and I had in common. We used to string lights all over the house, put up the tacky plastic lighted nativity scene and worship Andy Williams and his now famous Christmas Albums. I’d have the tree all organized with gifts so that when you got up Christmas morning everything was set. I remember everything had to be just perfect in my Christmas production. Over the years the shows have changed and so have the characters. We had two boys so they became actors in this production of Christmas past,present and future. They were good years but something has changed.

It seems that the group Christmas theme just doesn’t seem to work anymore. I’m finding that I can’t “buy” Christmas. I wake up on Christmas morning only to discover that it doesn’t feel the way it used to feel. Something is missing replaced by something far more foundational yet weird. Christmas, for me, is not about the big family gatherings, mass’ of gifts under the tree or even a candlelight service at the church of my choice.

Christmas has become much more personal and even a bit lonely. That’s not the sad kind of lonely  It’s the type of lonely that comes when you realize that marketing Jesus can’t be done. Creating the Disney Christmas is not only unnatural it’s almost disgusting to me. I see signs where people say “Put Jesus Back in Christmas”. I didn’t know He ever left. I know we live in a culture that doesn’t pay attention to the true meaning of words but Christmas (Christ’s Birth) has Jesus all over it. Perhaps those signs aren’t good enough. Perhaps to truly celebrate Christmas you have to get away from the cultural trappings of what we want Christmas to be and go back to it’s origin.

Christmas is about Christ’s birth. Perhaps christmas is less to do with cookies, fudge, gifts, lights and a tree and much more about relationship. I think it’s time to turn on the tree, light a candle, turn on the Christmas Village and spend some time with God.

Just the two of us.

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  zach December 26, 2008 at 4:22 am

  Symbolism destiny and a wish, for me it is simple. It has nothing to do with society and everything to do with my soul. Sometime near midnight I saw a shooting star. That would be welcome any night but on this night it seems to let me know that someday my greatest wish will come to pass. As you know that wish is to be with Thea marie again. Nothing else even comes close to that in importance for me any more. All other things have been eclipsed by that spiritual person. A sign in the sky like that on this night makes me know I must live a long time and find the right words to finish my destiny with my long lost soulmate. So it is a very simple day for me and one filled with truth and destiny and little signs from above about the most important one I lost along the way.