'Tis The Season To Be Frenzied ... fa la la la la la la
Oh wait, that isn't how the song goes ...is it ;)
Christmas is quickly approaching and it is a season which culture and media promotes with excitement and perhaps even a touch of frenzy. I mean think about all the money our north american "rich" culture is raking in at our expense!
So I ask, are you already finding yourself in a mode of a fast pace mall hunt for that "perfect gift", or perhaps that doesn't happen until the 24th - when it is just mayhem! Lights, Christmas Trees, Cards, Eggnog, decorations, tinsel, garland, ivy, holly ... mistletoe? It never ends and it is so easy to find ourselves caught in the swirl of the very thing it is not.
Our Christmas Season.
So many reflective thoughts roll around in my head, Years ago ... as a child I remember my father came home from work one day and proudly announced to us as a family that ... "This year we are going to discover the real meaning of Christmas".
screeching halt - fullstop here. Every child's nightmare conversation! WHAT -no presents????
You mean Santa will fly right by our house and NOT STOP?! Not even the token 'orange' in the stocking? I remember my brother, kevin and I looking at each other like this would be the end of all fun and frolic as we once knew it. What would we tell our friends at school, when the christmas loot list starts being read and here we are with a big FAT NOTTA "0" ZERO!
My Father proudly declared even stronger "NOW WAS THE TIME to DISCOVER the REAL MEANING of CHRISTMAS!"
If I remember correctly, this was the year that mom, had zealously gone to the local bakery and ordered a "Happy Birthday Jesus" Cake which she proudly marched in on Christmas Day and there we sat all around the table (uhum -forced) to sing a rousing chorus of HAPPY BIRTHDAY to JESUS! Which I then -very energetically- was able to practice the famous sheri mcconnell "eyeroll" and the common kick under the table to my brother.
Like what the heck - WHERE'S MY PRESENTS! WHERE'S MY PRESENTS?? PRESENTS?! WHERE??????? !!!
Perhaps, you can relate completely to my story above and then others of you perhaps bake that cake every year joyously, celebrating the birth of Christ in similar form. Either way, let, me just say loudly THANK YOU JESUS the children won over somewhat that year- or perhaps it was just a healthy compromise. My parents decided to go with just one gift for each of us that year. Making a specific point of highlighting the truth that Christmas is not about commercial marketing of the latest gadget and the plethera of toys/clothes that one "just feels" the urge to need right at this time of year.
As much as I really did not understand the point of those fateful Christmas events past, now as an adult I can say that I appreciate the intent and heart of my parents in wanting to model truth and meaning far beyond the miss of mass media blitz.
I look at Christmas now very differently, thanks to encounters like I speak about above and a Christmas Season I spent a few years ago in a far off beautiful land called, Nepal.
Of course, the excitement of watching a child open a gift with such fervency and joy ripping that paper off, I admit is very fun to watch.
Yet, the teacher in me even more wants to point children and adults alike to the Biblical response "it is more blessed to give than to receive".
"Giving" - Must it come in a small, medium or large box with glitzy paper? Or how about through a kind word, an outstretched hand of mercy and love to a broken, peaceless culture and society. How about taking our children,youth and self to the real reality and beauty of Christmas - to the cold streets of every city or town you find yourself living in. Looking into the faces of the lonely, the lost. These ones are everywhere around us! This season for many is just another day of brokenness and sadness, fighting for their next meal or place to stay warm out of the cold. The latest Macy's sale is definately not in the forefront of these ones minds.
I ask myself. What can I do to bring hope during this season. To reach outside of my warm, comfortable, clean home and to look outside of myself. Not to the Mall, Not to the Tree, Not to the Gift - But, truly to He who gives and gives and gives! This one whose name is JESUS.
Isn't the person of Jesus REALLY what Christmas is about?
How would He choose to celebrate His season?
Thomas Merton so eloquently penned "We are not at Peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God."
I pray PEACE over you my friends in this very PEACELESS hour as you discover real love, true joy, contentment and simplicity in the important realities of life.
How will you choose to celebrate the season of Christmas?
Christmas is quickly approaching and it is a season which culture and media promotes with excitement and perhaps even a touch of frenzy. I mean think about all the money our north american "rich" culture is raking in at our expense!
So I ask, are you already finding yourself in a mode of a fast pace mall hunt for that "perfect gift", or perhaps that doesn't happen until the 24th - when it is just mayhem! Lights, Christmas Trees, Cards, Eggnog, decorations, tinsel, garland, ivy, holly ... mistletoe? It never ends and it is so easy to find ourselves caught in the swirl of the very thing it is not.
Our Christmas Season.
So many reflective thoughts roll around in my head, Years ago ... as a child I remember my father came home from work one day and proudly announced to us as a family that ... "This year we are going to discover the real meaning of Christmas".
screeching halt - fullstop here. Every child's nightmare conversation! WHAT -no presents????
You mean Santa will fly right by our house and NOT STOP?! Not even the token 'orange' in the stocking? I remember my brother, kevin and I looking at each other like this would be the end of all fun and frolic as we once knew it. What would we tell our friends at school, when the christmas loot list starts being read and here we are with a big FAT NOTTA "0" ZERO!
My Father proudly declared even stronger "NOW WAS THE TIME to DISCOVER the REAL MEANING of CHRISTMAS!"
If I remember correctly, this was the year that mom, had zealously gone to the local bakery and ordered a "Happy Birthday Jesus" Cake which she proudly marched in on Christmas Day and there we sat all around the table (uhum -forced) to sing a rousing chorus of HAPPY BIRTHDAY to JESUS! Which I then -very energetically- was able to practice the famous sheri mcconnell "eyeroll" and the common kick under the table to my brother.
Like what the heck - WHERE'S MY PRESENTS! WHERE'S MY PRESENTS?? PRESENTS?! WHERE??????? !!!
Perhaps, you can relate completely to my story above and then others of you perhaps bake that cake every year joyously, celebrating the birth of Christ in similar form. Either way, let, me just say loudly THANK YOU JESUS the children won over somewhat that year- or perhaps it was just a healthy compromise. My parents decided to go with just one gift for each of us that year. Making a specific point of highlighting the truth that Christmas is not about commercial marketing of the latest gadget and the plethera of toys/clothes that one "just feels" the urge to need right at this time of year.
As much as I really did not understand the point of those fateful Christmas events past, now as an adult I can say that I appreciate the intent and heart of my parents in wanting to model truth and meaning far beyond the miss of mass media blitz.
I look at Christmas now very differently, thanks to encounters like I speak about above and a Christmas Season I spent a few years ago in a far off beautiful land called, Nepal.
Of course, the excitement of watching a child open a gift with such fervency and joy ripping that paper off, I admit is very fun to watch.
Yet, the teacher in me even more wants to point children and adults alike to the Biblical response "it is more blessed to give than to receive".
"Giving" - Must it come in a small, medium or large box with glitzy paper? Or how about through a kind word, an outstretched hand of mercy and love to a broken, peaceless culture and society. How about taking our children,youth and self to the real reality and beauty of Christmas - to the cold streets of every city or town you find yourself living in. Looking into the faces of the lonely, the lost. These ones are everywhere around us! This season for many is just another day of brokenness and sadness, fighting for their next meal or place to stay warm out of the cold. The latest Macy's sale is definately not in the forefront of these ones minds.
I ask myself. What can I do to bring hope during this season. To reach outside of my warm, comfortable, clean home and to look outside of myself. Not to the Mall, Not to the Tree, Not to the Gift - But, truly to He who gives and gives and gives! This one whose name is JESUS.
Isn't the person of Jesus REALLY what Christmas is about?
How would He choose to celebrate His season?
Thomas Merton so eloquently penned "We are not at Peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God."
I pray PEACE over you my friends in this very PEACELESS hour as you discover real love, true joy, contentment and simplicity in the important realities of life.
How will you choose to celebrate the season of Christmas?
8 Comments:
Sheri,
Christmas becomes a little more surreal for me each year. The promises of consumerism lack the power to follow through on the value and worth they advertise as yours if you only get or give that perfect gift.......
Yet sometimes, like this year, I feel tired of being such a poo. Sometimes, in our zeal for purity and truth, it seems like its become popular, at least in my Christian circles, to be quite condescending toward Christmas. It's not that I disagree or wish to diminish the contempt for consumerism that run so rampant at this time of year, it's just that I think there's a place for enjoying the Lord and whatever you deem good about the season and then, instead of being condescending and letting it get to you, carrying that postive attitude into Christmas.
But it probably helps that I haven't had to be in any malls or anything like that - so distancing myself from the shite of the season has been rather easy.
Anyways.....
Bless you Sheri!!
I agree Tony - we should enjoy all that this season offers! without cynism. Christmas is actually my favorite time of year.
However, may we always push ourselves beyond our comfortable 'self' in order to look outside of the trappings we often find ourselves in. So, that it really can be an expression that is more meaningful and less about 'me'. More about 'others'... often times even our cynism is more about "me" than 'others'. Jesus, I really don't want to be that way ...
Blessings all over you my friend as you celebrate the joy and gifts of the Father over your life and home!
Hey Sheri and Tony remember we here at Starbucks have been celebrating Christmas since Halloween ended so I'm a little tired of it all. This year Alexandra and I want to try and bring the kids to a soup kitchen and to give a present through world vision. We want to stress to our children that it is fun to get presents from Santa but it is also rewarding to bring joy and the love of Christ to others.
That's AWESOME Ryan!!
Ryan: nice one brotha
Since I don't own a TV, and I never go to malls, I've actually managed to (mostly) avoid the crass commercialization of Christmas this year.
Christmas is also stressful for another reason: it's supposed to be all about family joy, but the reality for so many is broken families... myself included. And yet the seeds of hope are out there. Although the family I came out of is broken, I've begun a new family with Jaclyn, and we're about to celebrate our first Christmas together as a new "family." We set up our Christmas tree yesterday and for a moment I was actually excited about Christmas. (The rum and eggnog we had sure helped too!)
And yet those Christmases of adversity were really a blessing in disguise. They really reminded me that the joy of the season can only be Jesus Himself. Family and things are good, but they fall short of creating the joy in me that Jesus does.
It is certainly more blessed to give than to receive.
I love Christmas. It's a nice holiday that helps me forget that it's freakin freezing out side.
I have had a blast buying presents that I know my kids will love. I can't wait to see them opened.
I totally understand that some Christians are all about "What's the REAL reason for the season", and promoting the birth of Christ. For me I just try to do what I do all year. Love God and others. Christmas is FUN and there are lots of good things to be had about it (including rum and eggnog).
If a person doesn't like the commercialisum of the season then they should not be commercialised.(I know easier said than done) Everyone can make choices about how they celebrate the season, that's part of the beauty of it.
Happy Holiday.
p.s forgive any spelling mistakes:)
Hey Sheri,
This is Jody Skaar, now Jobse here. I came across your blog off Tanya's site. I have my own also. www.jdmj.blogspot.com it's been nice to see what your doing and the ministry the Lord has brought you too.
Email if you like.
Jody
Hey Shezza!
xmas banquet went good. As interns we had to plan the program so because we all disliked the program going super long we kept it short and sweet.
It was a good night, everyone looked so beautiful! I did not have a date this year and instead flew solo with some friends...it was good times.
You are in my prayers this xmas season friend, blessings on you!
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