I caught something on the news yesterday about new billboard ads just in time for the holidays that claim you don’t have to believe in a god to celebrate Christmas. We can all just be good for goodness’ sake.This tells me that the secularists have given up trying to get rid of Christmas because they know they have lost that battle decisively. Everyone knows that the bad guys in all the best stories are the ones who want to banish Christmas. (I seem to remember hearing last year about an airport that removed their Christmas decorations due to complaints, and then they put them up again due to the outrage it caused.)There is no stopping Christmas. It keeps on coming every year, irrevocably, irresistibly, unceasingly. In fact, this year it seems to have been on everyone’s mind even earlier than usual because the stores were busting out the decorations a few minutes after Halloween. In Florida last week I saw a huge Christmas tree set up at a mall and the lighting took place Saturday. So, in spite of all that the secularists have tried to do to cancel Christmas, it is bigger and better than ever. And I don’t even mind all the commercialism. Everyone knows it’s the biggest party of the year, and everyone knows it is Jesus’ birthday that we are celebrating, so I don’t mind that the stores are already playing Christmas carols.So the secularists have changed their tactics this year. Christmas worries them still. Must be keeping them up nights. Since they cannot succeed at outlawing it, they are trying to redefine it. They are very intimidated by the celebration of the Advent of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, and so they should be. But it is funny that they have resorted to spending the big bucks on billboards to try to justify the celebration of Christmas for the unbelievers. Since they can’t cancel it, they will try to empty it of its Christian context and make it okay for them to participate in. Kind of like justifying their presence at a party they have not been invited to. But that is guaranteed to fail too. They may choose to celebrate xmas on the 25th, but the potency and power of Christmas continues unabated.The other thing this tells me is that Christians need to step it up. It is clear that celebrating Christmas is even more potent than we realize. It is often the case that we Christians underestimate the impact that our very presence in the world makes, especially when we are having fun. Not because we are impressive in ourselves or even very good at celebrating, but because He lives in us and His presence shines through us. Keep this in mind over these next few weeks as you work hard to make a fabulous Christmas for your families. This is how we overcome the world.Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!
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Thank you so much for your encouragement to “do” things big. Our family has been encouraged in the past by you and your husband to learn to celebrate the things the world is trying to secularize (halloween,easter,etc..) instead of running from them. This mindset is very freeing and energizing. Our children learn to participate in the world as leading a movement for Christ not as clones of the world or as isolationists from the world. As I get older and the children get busier it is harder to take the time to decorate and bake but that is the funniest part of the holidays, the best memories. Thanks again, God bless.
Nancy,
Thank you for the encouraging post. My husband and I firmly believe in taking back Christmas a s a Christian holiday. We celebrate Advent and the Feast Day of Saint Nicholas (We are Presbyterian, but this makes a good excuse for early gifts).
As it is not too early to think about Christmas, do you have any ideas on celebrating Christmas with family members who are not Christians? We will not be home for most of Christmas Day, but will be with non-believing family members. While they celebrate, one would never know why they are celebrating.
Thanks for any input on this topic. We probably have lots of company out there.
Reminds me of a radio interview I heard many years ago with the director of the Baltimore Choral Arts Society. He claimed that Messiah wasn’t an explicitly Christian work. I actually worked tangentially with the guy through an arts in education program, but never got a chance to say, “Tom, that was the goofiest thing I’ve ever heard in my life!”
Great post, Nancy. Now I need to go contemplate all you have said. . . 🙂
Amen!
I am SO looking forward to it this year. With our oldest from my first marriage we have spent many many years splitting the holidays. This year we have her for Christmas Eve AND Christmas morning and all day Christmas and a few days before and a few days after and I am REJOICING in my soul. The Lord is so good and our family is going to PARTY like nobody’s business.
Renee,
If you are guests at your relatives’ home, your duty is to be gracious guests and not to try and steer the celebration. But if they are guests in your home, then you are free to include them in your celebration. In other words, when you are away, it’s an away game; and when you are home, it’s your turf.
So how do you handle it when one of you (me) loves having a Christmas full of decorating, gift wrapping, baking, getting together, etc and the other (my husband) really isn’t into all that? He’s not a Scrooge, but it seems that he sees mainly a lot of extra work and bustle when he could just be programming or reading a book. This is only our 3rd Christmas together, and last year we got pretty frustrated with each other.
Great post Nancy, thanks for the great reminders! It’s funny, because my husband said to me last night “Hey, if you wanted to, would could spend Saturday morning decorating the house!” to which I actually replied “decorate it for what?” (shame-shame :)) To which he replied “Well, for Christmas of course!” Then I actually said “Already?! You think so?” But of course, he was right on the money. 🙂 It’s a celebration of the first coming our Lord and Savior, so let’s bust out the decorations, crank up the carols and celebrate (appropriately, of course) until we collapse in a delightfully exhausted heap on our favorite couch or bed! 🙂
Natalie,
My suggestion is that you defer, of course, to your husband’s style of Christmas. At the same time, if he doesn’t like to be involved in the actual decorating, but doesn’t mind if you do it, then I would suggest that you cheerfully do the baking, wrapping, etc. as you would your other duties and not load him up with a list of honey-do’s. It makes no sense getting grumpy over what should be a joyful celebration. Rather a pot of veggies with joy than a big turkey dinner with a grumpy gus.
Mrs. Wilson, do you have any biblically-backed suggestions as far as gift-giving? We believe our theology of God works out our fingertips in the way we treat our children: we want to lavish good things upon our children because that is what God does for us. Especially at Christmas! And we are thankful that our kids’ grandparents want to “go all out” along with us. But it makes some other family members uneasy and question if we are remembering that “JESUS is the reason for the season, not parties and presents.”
So where in Scripture do we find support for having the “biggest & bestest” celebration we can possibly put together? with delicious food and bounteous gifts?
Thank you!
Is it just me, or is everyone seeing exceptionally large type on this site?
Natalie, my husband was much the same way when we were first married. I have to admit, following Nancy’s advise to do all that stuff *cheerfully* was kinda tough, since it felt like I did so much of it alone. So, I only did what I could cheerfully do myself, which wasn’t much. Over time, he’s seen how much enjoyment I get out of little things like hot cider with mulling spices only at Christmas, and finding/making the best gifts for everyone, and meticulously wrapping pretty presents… and he’s found his spot in the festivities where he’s most comfortable–in the kitchen of all places! He enjoys all the extra “stuff” but finding the energy for it was not something he could do. That didn’t mean that he didn’t get great joy out of watching me have fun with it all. 🙂 And along the way, he’s discovered that he has some energy to plan and help prepare big meals with lots of yummy leftovers, and has an interest in picking out the “perfect presents” as well. It’s kinda hard to sit back and be a scrooge for long when everyone else around you is having so much fun!
Wow, my visually impaired 7-year old got to read this post this morning! Thanks for such a kind font size glitch, Nancy :-).
It’s funny that you mention not being bothered by Christmas decorations coming out as Hallowwen ones were being taken down. In previous years it has really bothered me because I thought Thanksgiving needed to be preserved against the holiday kitsch. But this is the first year I actually smiled to see all of the red and green peeking out of the grocery store shelves while collecting my trick-or-treat candy. Our pockets aren’t jingling quite as much this year, and I think want is making us eager. Without much money, we’re getting creative learning to celebrate with little better than we’ve celebrated with much!
No idea about the font size. It looks just like normal on my screen.
Melissa, regarding your question about why do we celebrate. I would simply answer that it is the nature of the news: the Savior is born! What do we do when we have good news? We celebrate!
Thank you thank you thank you !!!
I am so encouraged by your teaching on this. I LOVE the holidays, and LOVE to pick out presents, start traditions, find needy families to pick out more presents for, …
About the family members’ worry about lots of hoopla and gifts–I call our Christmas presents to each other “party favors!” Who doesn’t want to give great birthday parties for their kids? Who wouldn’t agree that you should give your guests the greatest time you possibly can? It isn’t our birthday, but we are celebrating one just the same, and HE has given us these things to give to each other. Keep the atmosphere so full of Christ and the gospel that they cannot possibly doubt your heart’s intention.
Hello Nancy. First, I wanted to thank you for the post. I can’t tell you how much your blog and books have ministered to me.
My question is:
What do I do when my Mother-in-Law and I are having a disagreement about how Christmas should be handled for our two boys. We have a three year old and a six month old. We’re worried that they’re being “spoiled” so my husband and I asked everyone to try to tone down the amount of gifts that they give. Apparently, this had stepped on a few people’s toes. What should I do? We don’t want our boys being raised in excess and extravagance. They already have so many toys that we feel overwhelmed and it makes housekeeping difficult. So, I’ve been thinning things out a lot. My husband and I are at a loss. Any suggestions?
Chelsea,
Here are my two cents. I think it would be much better to receive what your mother-in-law is giving without a bump. If she wants to give you and your kids the moon, I would just say thank you and receive it. Then you can put toys away and rotate them through every few weeks. In other words, it would be much better to take the trouble on your end than to give trouble to your in-laws and other family.
Hope that helps!
Nancy,
Thank you so much for the advice. I’ll definitely try to follow it. I guess I should just count it as a blessing that my boys have Grandparents who love them so much. I really do want them to get to enjoy their grandbabies. Thanks for helping me to look at it a different way.
Chelsea