The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

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Since August I have felt Christmas sneaking up on me. "Seasonal" Christmas displays at the store brazenly challenged the Labor Day, Back to School, and Thanksgiving endcaps. Now it's December and Christmas is everywhere. I can't turn on the TV, radio, or computer without a thousand reminders that I'm not a part of the world's celebration.

When I leave my house, I see decorations, ranging from tasteful and pretty to garish and seizure-inducing. Presumably, behind these garlands, wreaths, lights and bows, happy families are brimming with excitement, contentment, love, joy and peace as they prepare for their most important celebration of the year.

Right?

Let me change gears. A few years ago, I worked at a social service organization that helped children in poverty. It's funny because poverty doesn't always look the same. Some of the kids had mental health diagnoses; a few, severe. Some were from a gang-centered inner city culture. Some were from rural, unemployed or failing agricultural communities. Some had no parents, or very poor excuses for parents. All of them ended up "in the system." We who worked there became the substitute families for these children, as much as we were able. We were the ones there for the ups, downs, milestones and birthdays. When Christmas time came, it was a very educational experience for me. I realized what the real, tangible, difference is between Man's holidays and God's Holy Days.

On Christmas Day, I was to work in the section with "relocated urban youth." The girls were more excited than I had ever seen them as they knew the closets and back rooms were filled with presents donated by area churches. Their usual bickering, fighting and surliness had given way to almost childlike joy and wonder. Finally, the time came for them to open their presents. The generosity of the community was impressive, as each girl had a trash bag full. Each was sure they would get just what they had asked for on their list.  Box after box was hungrily shredded. As the piles of open boxes grew and the unopened shrank, the emotional climate changed considerably. Anticipation had given way to reality. Very few had gotten what they wanted. Instead of MP3 players, make up and jewelry they had socks, bathrobes, and soaps. These gifts were bought by strangers. They were still in an institution, far from their families, friends, homes, and pets. Their childlike wonder had disintegrated before my eyes as they cried, argued and swiped presents from each other's piles.

As I tried to intervene in the unfolding chaos, I thought of all those generous people who had donated their own time, money and thoughtfulness to try to make Christmas special for these unlucky girls. I'm sure they pictured grateful children accepting their presents with humble words of thanks and love. I wondered what they would have thought if they could see this scene before me. This was not a Norman Rockwell, Charlie Brown, "God Bless Us Every One" kind of scene that we are told is synonymous with Christmas.  It was sad, angry, jealous, and hurt. I wished they hadn't even known Christmas existed when I saw the pain that their isolation and poverty had caused them.

If Christmas is about "family, love, and peace," what is about for the people that don't have any of those things in this life? How many families are injured or destroyed by divorce, poverty, sickness, death, drug use, mental illness, extra-marital affairs, physical and sexual abuse, or plain old dislike for each other? What do those people have to celebrate when everything Christmas is supposed to represent brings them stress, hurt, anger, and anxiety? The truth is that the scene I described isn't the exception. It's the rule.

Here is what I learned that day about the difference between Man's holidays and God's Holy Days: Man celebrates the good things in the present. Here and Now. He glosses over the ugly parts with ribbons and bows and donated toys. God, on the other hand, knows that this life is hard, ugly, and terrible sometimes. He knows that you might not have much to celebrate about or have people to share it with. God's Holy Days focus on His Plan to right all the wrongs and wipe away all the tears, so that even if you live the ugliest, most painful life right now, you still can rejoice because you know it is temporary. You know that in God's coming Kingdom there will be no pain. No sickness. No death. No poverty. That is the real reason that God's Holy Days are not even comparable to Christmas or any other worldly holiday. Because it is about potential, hope, and eternity.

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Comments

  • CindyThomasina

    Dear XCG Friend,
    I understand there are many individuals like you, who are sincere in their efforts to keep Christmas a spiritual Christian celebration, and I agree with you on the point that if God's holy days were recognized as civil holidays in this country, they would probably be misused and misunderstood as well. However,the "religious element" of Christmas that you speak of, is drenched to the core in paganism--a fact of history, easy to research. I wonder then...with Christmas being built entirely on a pagan foundation, and the foundation being what holds it up--how then, can I, and those of like mind, "properly evaluate Christmas" based on the "religious element" of it? The joyfulness that you speak of, though it may be sincere, seems to me like a vain attempt by mankind to cover up the "unredeemably evil" foundation of the Christmas celebration.
    Furthermore, as you know there are religious organizations and individuals around the globe, which choose not to join in on the celebration of Christmas because of the pagan origin in which the holiday was birthed; but more importantly, because it is God Almighty himself who "condemns" Christmas (Jeremiah 10:1-16; Matthew 7:21-23).

  • dziwczyna

    Today I went shopping (Dec. 29). What did I see? Well, as I waited in line to actually buy something, the queue in front of me was busy returning their gifts. Wow, what a meaningful holiday.

    Then, as I was driving home I heard several commercials on the radio advertising "Santa didn't give me what I wanted this year". The message was to go buy something that you actually really wanted, instead of the junk you actually got. Again, what meaning does the holiday have?

    I find it interesting that modern Christianity is more than willing to share their xmas holiday with pagans, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, etc... who have ZERO regard for Jesus Christ. That alone should be a wake-up call as to what the festival is really all about.

  • laura rowles

    @XCG Friend. Give me one example in the Bible where God said that it was ok for the Israelites to pollute his holy days with pagan practices, and to keep them in the insincere manner that they so often did... Israel were sent into exile for introducing pagan practices into the worship of God and profaning the Sabbath, and their example is there for us to learn from.

    There is nothing wrong with God's Holy Days, as they come from God, and are commanded by God. The fact that people corrupt them is a reflection on people and not on the Holy Days themselves.

    Christmas, on the other hand, is a based firmly in pagan origins, and as such we are told to have nothing to do with it. Nowhere in the Bible is it commanded that Christ's birth be celebrated. The early Church did not celebrate Christ's birth. It was instituted around 300 years later, by a man intent on making Christianity popular to his pagan people: 'But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.' (Mark 7:8). 'Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.' (Col 2:8).

  • laura rowles

    @XCG Friend. Give me one example in the Bible where God said that it was ok for the Israelites to pollute his holy days with pagan practices, and to keep them in the insincere manner that they so often did... Israel were sent into exile for introducing pagan practices into the worship of God and profaning the Sabbath, and their example is there for us to learn from.

    There is nothing wrong with God's Holy Days, as they come from God, and are commanded by God. The fact that people corrupt them is a reflection on people and not on the Holy Days themselves.

    Christmas, on the other hand, is a based firmly in pagan origins, and as such we are told to have nothing to do with it. Nowhere in the Bible is it commanded that Christ's birth be celebrated. The early Church did not celebrate Christ's birth. It was instituted around 300 years later, by a man intent on making Christianity popular to his pagan people: 'But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.' (Mark 7:8). 'Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.' (Col 2:8).

  • XCG Friend

    It is important to distinguish between the childish, secular, or nominal observance of Christmas and the type of celebration that mature, spiritual Christians enjoy.

    Just because many people ignore the religious element altogether and treat Christmas like a secular holiday is not a reason for condemning Christmas.

    Certainly, ancient Israel kept God's holy days, but they did not keep them in a spiritual manner. Is that any reason to condemn God's holy days? If the holy days were recognized as civil holidays in this country, they would probably be just as commercialized and widely abused as Christmas.

    But this is no signal that such observances are wrong.

    To properly evaluate Christmas, you should consider the holiday as kept by those spiritual Christians who observe the holiday as a remembrance of Jesus' birth, who attend services, pray, and give gifts to people like those needy girls. For these people, Christmas is not fraught with disappointment, selfishness, and greed. It is a beautiful time of year, and remains so long after the actual holiday is past.

    Such people cherish the memories of Christmases past and look forward to each new celebration of Jesus' birth every year. It is a time of joy in the salvation of Christ, family togetherness, and gift-giving--much like the FOT.

    It is simply misguided to look only at the negative examples of Christmas excess and to condemn the holiday as unredeemably evil based on those examples when there are many, many people who keep Christmas in a positive and spiritual way that you probably know nothing of.

  • beyondthesky

    Dear Miss Disher,
    Thank you very much for posting this. I mean it left me speechless. It was WONDERFUL!!!!

  • Terri Lussenheide

    Thank you for your insight. There is so much buildup and hype over this holiday that it can only inevitably end in disappointment. It is always that way when it comes to the way of get. There is no deeper meaning in it than the here and now, no hope. Even the event it purports to celebrate, Jesus' birth is in the past and only a first step in the unfolding events of God's great plan of love for man. God's holy days give hope to all--sinners and saints alike. The gifts he bestows on us will never disappoint. I thank him now for His awesome gift of the knowledge of His Holy Days!

  • Shawn Cortelyou

    Very well written!! Thanks for sharing!

  • Heather Disher

    Thanks for the encouraging words, everyone! I'm glad my post has struck a chord for you.

  • MatthewB

    Thanks for sharing, Heather. I have always appreciated the beauty of the meaning behind the Biblical festivals, which are both enjoyable in the present and give hope for the future. (And though that hope is available to rich and poor alike, we who are able must still remember to share the physical things with others in need.)

  • John Miller

    Hi Heather. Thanks for a very insightful and well written blog entry

  • Joy Jones

    Well Done, Heather! I really appreciated reading your blog. Thank you for sharing your perspective with us.

  • katrinac84

    Thanks for sharing! It is truly a blessing to be able to keep God's Holy Days! The hope and love they give will one day be a blessing for all!

  • katrinac84

    Thanks for sharing! The hope and love in God's Holy Days are truly a blessing that someday the whole world will be able to take part in!

  • Sherrie_Giddens

    Thank you for sharing such an eye opening and close up view of your own experiences. I find it difficult to get through the stores during this time of year. The attitudes turn to "I" and "Me". Children take this time of year to tell their parents what they want as they go through the store, typically ending in some kind temper tantrum because they can not have it "now". Parents spend their time telling kids to be good or Santa will not bring them anything on Christmas day. I have often wondered what the poor children of the world think when they get nothing or very little that they want. Do they believe that Santa loves poor kids less than other children? This time of year is filled with so much greed based on lies, and it goes against everything that Jesus preached on earth, yet His name is used to justify it all. How truly sad it is when He offered insight into His Holy Days and how much peace and happiness they can bring to the world.

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