What did you get for Christmas? What do you want for Christmas? These are two popular questions during this time of year. Within the predominately Christian West people have become obsessed with the Season of Taking. I know it is called the “Season of Giving,” but is that really the focus of most of us? Think about it, has anyone asked you what you gave for Christmas, or what you are giving? No, our primary focus is on the overall present haul, with constant comparisons to the receiving of others. Parents seem to get into a bidding war, trying to make sure that their kids have more gifts than their friends and cousins. Children are like brides registering at Target with the inventory gun. They do online research and take surveys from all of their friends to make sure that they are maximizing their Christmas receiving. The parents are presented with prioritized lists with gift options and anything less will be a major disappointment. What have we made Christmas?
Christians are really the most at fault. We should know better, after all the birth of Christ is an important time to commemorate for those claiming him as our Savior and Lord. We are quick to get indignant when we hear others say, “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” We are angered when a Jewish parent doesn’t want their child to participate in the Christmas play at school. We even put bumper stickers on our vehicles that say, “Don’t forget the Christ in Christmas,” or “Jesus is the reason for the season.” Yet, if non-believers followed us they would see those same bumper stickers traveling to the same malls and shops to load up on Christmas cheer and credit card debt with everyone else. And shockingly, the Christmas Eve services are poorly attended because they get in the way of families getting ready for Santa Claus. (I think his gospel is in the Apocrypha; I couldn’t find a reference to him anywhere in Luke.) What have Christians let Christmas become?
It is to the point that we are like addicts, trying very weakly to back off of our obsession with the present explosion and honoring the fat guy in the red suit. We can’t help ourselves. Parents and grandparents are only acting out of love when they spend and spend and spend to make sure that the pile of presents looks impressive for their little ones. But is all the energy we put into the exchange of gifts spiritually healthy? Our understanding of scriptural instruction on materialism is clear. Becoming obsessed with things and the receiving of more things is a dangerous practice. If this mentality is allowed to grow then our hearts become tainted and our allegiance to our Lord is weakened. The pursuit of more stuff will overtake our pursuit of Christ-likeness.
So what do we do? Certainly it feels like we are on a runaway sled loaded up with a mountain of packages wrapped in colorful paper and an overweight delivery guy who can’t stop laughing. Maybe he is laughing at us. The trouble is nobody wants to be the one to refuse to participate in the gifting madness. But, there are ways to de-emphasize the receiving of gifts and re-emphasize the central message of Christmas within your families. Sit down with your family and look for ways you can move more of the focus onto the spiritual core of what we do during the latter part of December. Make sure there is an understanding that the giving of gifts is an expression of love, reflective of the gift that God gave humanity when Jesus was sent into creation to heal its brokenness.
Maybe there are ways you could seek out as a family, especially at extended family gatherings, to forego the exchanging of gifts in order to put that money, as a family, toward meeting the needs of someone else. When there is so much focus on the receiving of things, it always highlights those who struggle with obtaining the basic necessities of a quality life; food, clothing, shelter, education, and love. And maybe we could begin to ask our children what they gave this Christmas instead of what they received. It is our responsibility to keep them mindful of the Christ that gave all he had for them; who lived his earthly life among the poor and needy, with seemingly very little possessions of his own. I’m sure we can accomplish that without killing Santa Claus. What are you going to give this Christmas?