Santa, Snowflakes & Elves, Oh My! ~ by robin moroney

“. . . she gave birth to her first-born, a son.  She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manager . . .”  Luke 2:7

I recently saw a You Tube video of Ellen Degeneres making fun of the people who are in an uproar because Starbucks changed their cups to Holiday cups.  Apparently people are saying that Starbucks is being anti-Christmas.  I’m guessing that people are upset because it solidifies what we’ve been saying for years (me included) that we are taking Christ out of Christmas.  I’ve said this same thing for years and I’ve been in an uproar about it too.  But in Ellen’s monologue, she said something that made me pause.  She said that the old cups had snowflakes, Santa’s sleigh and elves on them “You know, all the things you find in the Bible.”

Hmmm.  That phrase “all the things you find in the Bible” stuck with me.  And it made me realize that Christmas really has become a season.  It’s no longer about a day – The Day – it’s all about the season.  Then I had to wonder how it got to be a season and, honestly, what is my part in helping to make it that way?

So, what is Christmas?  It is the day our Savior was born.  Luke 2:10 says:

“I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

Did you catch it?  “Today.”  Not this month, not this season.  Today.

So, reality check . . . as we complain that the world and retailers and advertisers are taking Christ out of Christmas, how many of us are contributing to making “Christmas” about a span of time ~ a season ~ rather than the Day?  How many of us start decorating our homes on November 1^st and take weeks to decorate so we can have the perfect house to impress our friends and family (decorations that will include snowflakes, Santa’s sleigh and elves)?  How many of us spend weeks and weeks and hundreds (or thousands) of dollars to get the perfect gift for everyone we know?  How many of us swarm to stores on Black Friday so we can get a great deal (usually on “gifts” for ourselves)?  And when Christmas day finally arrives, in the frenzy of opening gifts, visiting friends & family and eating ourselves into a food induced coma, how many of us actually step back and spend time praising our Savior or celebrating His birthday?  I am ashamed to realize that I don’t.  I might give a brief “Happy Birthday Jesus”, but that’s about it.

I am not saying that gifts, spending time with friends and family, decorating our homes or eating ourselves into oblivion on Christmas day are bad things.  I, for one, love our Christmas traditions and celebrations.  What I am saying, though, is that before we get in an uproar and blame the world, retailers and advertisers for taking Christ out of Christmas, let’s look at ourselves and acknowledge that we are probably doing the same thing.  Let’s be honest, we have all helped to contribute to making it a holiday season that starts on November 1^st and ends on New Year’s Day. 

The holiday season is not a bad thing.  It’s a wonderful, magical time to be with friends and family and to show them how much we love them by sharing gifts and food.  It’s a time to decorate and wear big, fat tent dresses so we can eat more.  It’s a time to celebrate Thanksgiving, Hanukah and New Year’s.  And right in the middle of that season is our Savior’s birthday ~ Christmas.  It’s a day ~ a very, very special day ~ not a season.  And it’s up to us, our Savior’s followers, to not forget His day.  It’s up to us to praise Him and acknowledge Him and His special day.  And it starts in our own hearts and in our own homes. 

So, as we run around getting ready for this Holiday Season, let’s not be hypocrites and get our feathers ruffled when someone says “Happy Holidays.”  Because chances are that the person saying “Happy Holidays” to you is the check-out person at Target who just rang up your purchase of six thousand feet of lights, a life-size blow up of Santa and his reindeer for your front lawn and a six-foot waving snowman ~ all of which, of course, are in the Bible.

Remember:  “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Isaiah 9:6

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for giving us Your Son, Jesus.  Thank You that we have the freedom to celebrate His birthday.  Thank You for the holiday season, a season when we are blessed with friends and family, celebrating and more food than we can eat.  I ask, Father, that on Christmas Day, You will cause a stirring in all our hearts that will remind us to spend more than a second to praise Your Son and remember His special day.  Help us to remember that Christmas is about Jesus' birthday and not about us.  We thank You for Jesus and we praise Him.  ~robin