Remember my Bah, Humbug post, in which I confessed that I don’t like the holiday season?
Since then I have come across a couple of articles that have helped with my attitude. In some cases, authors formulated what I had been thinking and trying to say far more clearly than I did. In others, I was simply forced to rethink things in a different light. Either way, I was ministered to, and I hope you will be.
G.K. Chesterton:
“Christmas is built upon a beautiful and intentional paradox; that the birth of the homeless should be celebrated in every home.”
By Rachel Jankovic, author of Loving the Little Years (which I am currently reading and loving!)
…Christmas is the ultimate celebration of the material. Because Christmas is the time when God became man. Word to Flesh. Unfettered spirit to the hazards and joys and stresses of physical life. Think about it. Some people want to filter the material out of Christmas and morph it into some pure ethereal spirit religious day. And some people want to filter all the spiritual out of it and make it simply a holiday celebrating the purchasing power of plastic. But the power of Christmas is when spiritual and material meet. And it always has been. That is the joy of the season, that is the good news, that is the laughter and the paradox and the earth-shaking magic of Christmas. The infinite Word became a physical baby.
It wasn’t like that first Christmas was a time of quiet reflection. Mary and Joseph were on a huge last-minute trip. And she’s big pregnant on a donkey? Think of it. It sounds like the worst travel experience of all time. No room. No bed. No privacy. Baby coming. Not just any baby either — one Mary knew was the Messiah. Angels? Shepherds dropping in? You think she felt dressed for that? I doubt Mary had time to throw together a cheese platter. She was in a barn, forced to place the King of kings — her Lord — in a trough. And I doubt her livestock roommates were quite as cute as they look in the storybooks.
The truth is, that’s what it’s like when the Spiritual becomes Material. When God became Man. It’s not easy, because it turns the world upside down, a true cataclysm of joy…read the rest
From C.S. Lewis’s God in the Dock:
Three things go by the name of Christmas. One is a religious festival. This is important and obligatory for Christians; but as it can be of no interest to anyone else, I shall naturally say no more about it here. The second (it has complex historical connections with the first, but we needn’t go into them) is a popular holiday, an occasion for merry-making and hospitality. If it were my business to have a ‘view’ on this, I should say that I much approve of merry-making. But what I approve of much more is everybody minding his own business. I see no reason why I should volunteer views as to how other people should spend their own money in their own leisure among their own friends. It is
highly probable that they want my advice on such matters as little as I want theirs. But the third thing called Christmas is unfortunately everyone’s business.
I mean of course the commercial racket. The interchange of presents was a very small ingredient in the older English festivity. Mr. Pickwick took a cod with him to Dingley Dell; the reformed Scrooge ordered a turkey for his clerk; lovers sent love gifts; toys and fruit were given to children. But the idea that not only all friends but even all acquaintances should give one another presents, or at least send one another cards, is quite modern and has been forced upon us by the shopkeepers. Neither of these circumstances is in itself a reason for condemning it. I condemn it on the following grounds…read the rest
And a quote from my wise and understanding husband:
I think too many Christians stress about the (false) dichotomy between the spiritual and material aspects of Christmas. It’s a FEASTing season where we give good things to our families.
Relax, it’s OK for the kids to be excited about the food and the presents. They represent tangible manifestations of God’s blessings. When God give you are present – a raise, a bonus, a great deal on something you want, don’t you get excited? When you do that for your kids, shouldn’t they?
I think so.
I am so convinced that your husband and mine could be twins separated by birth. I love how mine so expertly takes off the stress I have piled on my own shoulders, the condemnation that I forget is not ours in Christ Jesus, and slashes it to death with the truth of God’s Word!!! Aren’t husbands so wonderful!!!
Thanks for sharing these quotes!!
Merry Christmas!
Thanks for the quotes, I needed those. I’m finding it hard to feel very Christmas-y this year. My mom passed away two days after Thanksgiving so its going to be a rough season for my whole family. But what better time to find solace in God’s wonderful gift of a Savior.
Oh MacKenzie! I am praying for you!
I thought your husbands quote was the best! That is totally how we see it
Merry Christmas, and many blessings.
I am reading Loving the Little Years right now too. It’s great and the chapters are the perfect length for bathroom reading
I think Perry’s quite was my favorite too. Just the sort of thing my husband would say. He never freaks out about God stuff. I could learn something from him
Love these, Kim! I’ve struggled too, but mainly because we’re planning a wedding at the same time. Good, good things for which we are thankful, just a lot all at once. I’m encouraged by your quotes! Thank you!
I’ve had Loving the Little Years on my Amazon wish list for a while. Looking forward to reading it some day!
Merry Christmas!
Oops…didn’t realize I was signed in as Sacred……should have changed name back to “Candace”.
I needed this THIS YEAR! Thank you for putting them all together. Now I have brain food for the rest of the weekend and as we go into our “break” next week and begin fun activities.
I hope your housefull have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!
That man of yours is wise!!! I am going to borrow his quote and post for my friends to see. I do have a few that are struggling with the materials this season and think it is a great reminder for everyone..me included! Thank you
Awesome quotes. I like the pulling together of the material and the spiritual. I am blessed that I don’t have too big of a list of presents to buy and that I can have fun trying to find something that I think fits the receiver. Even if I miss the mark, I sure hope the recipients know that I was thinking about them.
Completely off topic but today you popped into my head for some reason and I began praying for you. I know we have only met a couple of times but I just wanted you to know I am praying for you tonight. Hugs!!
Thank you, Kim. We are trying to determine a strategy to maintain a balance in our home so we can have great joy at Christmas time rather than have great stress. I have very many fond memories of Christmases past, and very few of those memories have anything to do with gifts! When I was young, the children would draw names so we each only had to buy one gift. We usually would buy token gifts for the adults in our families, and for any friends we chose to, but this greatly simplified the process and made us really enjoy the holiday. As we’ve gotten older, though, it has become much more difficult to keep this attitude. I love Christmas, but I hate the stress of having to think of gifts to give people who don’t need anything and probably don’t want anything I can give them, but who will certainly give me something and make me feel guilty for not having something to return. Thank you for the reminder that a gift is just that–a gift, given freely. I will do my best to give thanks this year and receive my gifts without guilt.
I want my children to be joyful givers AND joyful receivers, and I want that attitude to begin with our child’s first Christmas.
We wish you and your family a very merry Christmas, and pray that you may find a special blessing in Christmas this year.
Alice, Steven, and little Grant
Your husband is so right. And C. S. Lewis is both hilarious and on spot, as usual. Thanks for the great post
Thank You! This is right on and so well put. I LOVE Christmas and I love making it big. And I have been so weary lately – but not of Christmas. I have been so weary of defending my Christmas celebration to other Chrsitians. Like somehow, I am being accused of not being Christian enough. Thank you so much for this post!
We have many Christian friends that don’t celebrate Christmas, and the pressure is on for us not to do so either. I love these quotes and especially the one by your husband. He has it right. We should celebrate (and with joy) God’s many blessings.
Merry Christmas.
VIctoria