Merry Christmas

When I was a little boy, I truly loved the Christmas season. I still do in my own way. Christmas has changed to me since I’ve grown into a man. My mom told me this would happen when I was in the beginning of my teen years. One reason is that since I’ve been working at Dollar Tree Christmas seems to come faster each year. The demand and volume we have to ship to our stores seems to double, so when it all settles back down its Christmas. Another reason Christmas has changed to me is the way the world looks at it. Heaven forbid that you sing songs that have the word Christ in them or say Merry Christmas. The world has turned this season into “Happy Holiday.” The world is clueless in that when you have holiday, it’s a word meaning “Holy Day.” I do feel that the main reason Christmas has changed to me is me. The more I’ve learned through studying the Bible, the more the truth is clear, and traditions (even though nice) aren’t what Christmas is about as we know it to be.

When I was a child, I enjoyed the traditions of what Christmas brings; the idea of baby Jesus in a barn with the shepherds and wise men with Him. The truth is that Jesus was born in a cave (caves are where people kept their animals safe), and that the wise men weren’t at the birth of Jesus. They came when He was a little child. The Bible is clear on what type of offerings to give, and the type Joseph and Mary offered was for the poor people. If they had the gold from the wise men, they would have done another type of offering. Must likely Jesus was born in early spring (March or April) because the shepherds were keeping their folks by night. In December, the weather in the middle east is too cold to sleep outside. We celebrate Christmas in December because the Catholic church chose this month. The idea of Christmas is what I love the most. Not the traditions or gifts but what Jesus is. Jesus is a gift that God offered to deliver us from an eternity in hell.

Since God gave us His Son, the idea of Christmas is to give and not to get. This year especially, I’ve told my loved ones to not give me anything but to give to others. The real reason for the Christmas season is Jesus and not Santa Claus or any other symbol the world is using these days. Christmas is the spirit of giving.

My final thoughts on Christmas is that Jesus didn’t come to earth for Christmas. He came for Easter. This means that Jesus didn’t come for the manger. He came for the cross. He came to die in our place, and He redeems us.

Have a Merry Christmas, and a safe New Year. Thanks for reading.