The Message of Christmas

What messages do we get from Christmas? There is, I would surmise, more than one. In fact, I think there are quite a few.

There's that whole thing about the real meaning of Christmas -- Santa Claus. The biggest thing about Santa is that we know Santa is watching you ... but he doesn't really care what you do. You see, he knows if you've been bad or good, but there is no justice because bad kids certainly get good gifts. Idle threats. You deserve good things all the time.

Beyond (but certainly part of) Santa is the fundamental principle that bigger is better. A Christmas card is nice, but where's the gift? A gift is nice, but is that all you're going to give me? He/she got more than me. I deserve more.

Underlying all of this, of course, is that it's all about me. We don't (typically) teach our kids that Christmas is about giving because we don't expect kids to give. Instead, we teach them that it's about getting, and we cater to them. It's all well and good, you see, because we love our kids and want to please them. But they're take-away lesson is, "It's all about me." (Doubt that? How hard is it to teach a kid to be grateful for the gifts they get?)

More generally, one thing we can see as a fundamental truth for all of life is that colorful decorations make for cheerful people. The more colorful, the more cheerful. Lots of lights and bright colors. I think, in fact, that if we think about it we can probably see that genuine happiness comes from pretty, shiny things. I'm sure we can see that in the rest of life as well.

Now, of course, I'm being a little too simplistic (and perhaps pessimistic). Since Christmas is about so much getting, it is equally about giving. I mean, if someone gets, someone gives, right? But, given the amount of debt that people tend to go into at Christmas and the stress levels that people encounter in obtaining those gifts, I would think that another obvious message is that it is good to mandate the giving of others. I mean, look, what kind of person would not give at Christmas? Would not give whatever he/she/it wants? As much as they want? Could you really face the anger of that one that didn't receive what was demanded? Extortion works.

Of course, Christmas isn't simply about all that stuff. We're Christians. Christmas is about Christ, about our celebration of His birth. The public does not have the right to change the name to "holiday trees" or to strip "Christ" off "Christmas" and make it "Xmas" or to prevent our kids from recognizing it in school or to suggest that Christmas is about materialism. It's our holiday. We have the right to require you all to recognize our religious celebration that is not biblically commanded. That is indeed an important Christmas message.

I know, I know, that's not what Christmas is about. But it sure is hard to avoid these messages, even if they're not explicit. On the other hand, finding the real message of Christmas seems really difficult these days. It's not about being nice to people or being good or about love and joy for all. It's not about giving or even feeding the hungry. It's not about turning over a new leaf like Scrooge or the Grinch did or helping Santa keep Christmas alive. They may be good lessons, but that's not what Christmas is about. They're just trappings, decorations, sufficient amounts of wrapping to end up obscuring the real message of Christmas. The message is that God the Father, sent His only child, God the Son, to take on human form, live a perfect life, and take on God's curse on our behalf so that we can be restored to a relationship with God. Seriously, that is so much better than bright lights, cheerful songs, and an imaginary pot-bellied man with toys.