Taking Back Christmas

Some things you never forget; an angel would be one of those things. The angel said she was going to have a son and as inconceivable as it was, here he was. As she pondered all that had happened she still had a hard time believing it. Miraculous? Yes! Improbable? That too. She was the most improbable of mothers. Here he was, her son, God’s son, sleeping in the manger with Joseph looking on. Everything seemed right in heaven…and the world seemed to be smiling with joy.

My image of the first Christmas is much different than my image of current Christmases. The past two years I spent the day after Thanksgiving standing in line trying to get some great Christmas deals. It seemed like a good idea the day before, but it left me wondering if this is what Christmas was really was supposed to be.

Noisy crowds, costly gifts, pressure, full schedules come together to make us wonder what ever happened to those “old fashioned Christmases” with chestnuts roasting while riding the sled to grandmother’s house. It all leaves us with the feeling that maybe Christmas has all gotten out of hand.

Wouldn’t it be nice to take Christmas back? Wouldn’t it be wonderful for our Christmas celebration to be more like the first Christmas rather than the stress-filled, debt-induced, time-deficient holiday that it has become? Do you sometimes believe that Christmas has just gotten out of hand?

If so, then you are not alone. There are others who feel exactly the same way and they are doing something about it. They are taking back Christmas. They have decided that Christmas is much more than standing in line trying to get great Christmas deals on stuff that no one really needs and most people have forgotten about the next year anyway.

They have decided to scale things back. They have decided to spend less, but give more. They have decided to find creative ways to give of themselves. They have decided to not go into debt by budgeting and sticking to it. They have decided to make gifts, or give creatively so they can spend less and then use the money they didn’t spend on “stuff” and give it to organizations or causes that are making a difference in the world! What a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas. What a wonderful way to share God’s love in a world that so desperately needs it.

If you are yearning to take Christmas back, perhaps this year is the year to do it. If you are curious on what others are doing, take time to visit http://www.adventconspiracy.org. If you don’t have a computer or internet access, I’m sure you have friends or family you can talk to about taking Christmas back. No one can take it back but us. The choice is ours.