Christmas 2021 has come and gone. And while we all hoped that the overshadowing of a pandemic would now be in our rear-view mirror, I do hope that the seemingly ever-present worry did not crush your spirits.
A few days ago, I logged into my email account for the college where I teach, and this message was emblazoned on the website–a message from the college President:
“If there is no Christ, there is no Christmas.“
That was a stunning reminder to me and I shared it with some friends and now I share with you.
Let’s agree that family, food and gifts are part of the Christmas equation along with lights, decorations and Santa and favorite movies…shall I go on?
Almost every household has some version of “tradition” regarding Christmas. As a child, the menu at our home on Christmas day was fairly sacred. It was a feast that followed a morning visit to church for worship of the newborn Jesus. The food was plentiful and delicious and comforting. Stockings on the fireplace and carolers coming to the house were pretty much expected during Advent. The carols were about Jesus, not Santa, back in the day,
I will admit as a parent it was hard to separate Santa from the TRUE meaning of CHRISTmas for our growing family. Along with stockings, snowmen and Santa decor there were always manger scenes, advent anticipation at church and a wonderful Christmas Eve gathering with friends and then off we all went to church together for the REAL Christmas tradition and message. Was there more to the season’s spirit we could have explored?
Looking back to only a few days ago, I hope Christ was in your Christmas. Perhaps he was present in a manger scene, a prayer uttered, a worship service attended, a story read, a scripture revisited or a carol sung.
Amen to all of the above.
spiritandsoul.net 
Leave a Reply