December 4, 2020
Updated December 2021
Are you seeking a simpler Christmas? A more connected celebration, more meaningful? Grab a cup of coffee and look at some ideas with me.
ARE YOU SEEKING A SIMPLER CHRISTMAS SEASON?
You want it to be different, for your own reasons.
So you’re forming ideas. You’re gonna have to tell people that change is coming. You have a message to deliver, and it may be a challenge to the status quo. 😬
Is your message about financial overload vs minimalism?
Or maybe your message is about the way you spend time together as a family.
Sometimes you just want people to understand the way you feel, like you see that you’ve become disconnected from what the season is really about.
A CONNECTED CHRISTMAS
What would that be? Connected to family? Connected to the “reason for the season”?
It sounds catchy. You want it.
So we will all definitely connect to family in whatever way works in this strange and disconnected year.
If you’re ever hearing the words “holiday drama” then Christmas is the holiday for you. With original drama.
The “I Survived” Story
Let’s do this: Keep our thoughts centered on a couple who didn’t need a pandemic to rob them of their material possessions. Stranded at the time of the onset of labor with their first child, they were forced to take shelter among the animals, managing childbirth alone and figuring out how to survive.
We love to read dramatic stories of women who gave birth assisted by family or paramedics because they couldn’t make it to the hospital. They are moving to us, scary circumstances in a world where we expect some level of comfort and quality medical care.
When we birth our babies, everything is clean, and soft, and appropriate.
Somehow we love these people who have to do without those things.
We love the woman having the baby, the frantic husband, the firefighters who come to the rescue. We are excited and even warmed by the 911 or the I Survived story we watch on television.
So now I wonder:
Will I really “get it”?
Will I read the account in Luke, and be appropriately impacted as I think of this young couple?
Will I take the time to consider the situation that came to them, and their obedience?
Will I really “get it”? That the Savior of the world arrived in almost the same way as a baby calf? Not recognized, not honored, and not particularly cared for.
Not born into “clean, soft and appropriate”.
Will I?
Or will I rush by the history, on my way to a social obligation, excusing my lack of attention because I already know all about that?
How can I be sure I acknowledge what happened?
Because it isn’t fair, is it?
Why is it we’ve distanced ourselves from the way it all came about?
Can we get back?
A LOT OF FOLKS DEFINITELY WANT A SIMPLER CHRISTMAS SEASON AND A MORE CONNECTED CELEBRATION.
I do. I want it for myself, and for those around me.
But I want to be humble/kind about it. I can’t direct others. It’s not about being in charge.
It has to be something that happens in my heart. Not to perform a pious public act, or to proclaim my enlightenment before the world.
No, it’s something inside.
Confession:
I want to acknowledge that I’ve failed to recognize my Savior’s importance, and have failed to honor him. In my daily life.
Have I insisted that the world give me the soft, clean, appropriate room? While the Savior is pushed to the back of the line and expected to “make do”?
Go back with me to the beginning:
Here’s what really happened. The episode– the dramatic, scary, sad story. And the amazing publicity, the wonder, and the miracle. Without commercials, without pictures, and without spin or hype.
Can we really slow down and read it?
The Birth of Jesus
LUKE 2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
It really happened just that way. Sometimes I wonder how the event would be discussed if it happened today.
It is one of the most humble stories we know. The setting was meager, shabby, even smelly and dirty.
WHAT DOES JESUS DESERVE?
A few years ago, I decided to ban the word “deserve” if I’m talking about myself.
Why? The truth is that I don’t “deserve” anything. If I ever find myself speaking of deserving anything, I try to reverse course. It’s a discipline I began as a reminder that I have received far beyond what I deserve.
(I haven’t conquered anything, but I have made myself feel bad. 😉)
Here’s the thing, though:
When it comes to Jesus, “deserve” is a beautiful and worthy word, and it is so appropriate when we use it in connection with him.
Jesus deserves praise, recognition, honor, glory, adoration, worship, reverence. He deserves it.
Conversely, I owe it.
And here we are, in that beautiful season of Advent, the getting-ready time.
But what is it we’ll do?
For some reason, we indulge in gifts for each other. And it’s gotten to be a lot of fun. But the gifts didn’t start that way.
The wise men didn’t exchange gifts with each other under a decorated tree. (“New pajamas! Thank you so much!”)
They gave something to the newborn King. For his birthday, because he deserved it.
As you quickly review your learned birthday celebrations, you realize our traditions just don’t work for this one.
We can’t give Jesus what we give our friends. We can’t plan to take him to lunch, or order a custom cake for him to eat, or tie balloons to his chair. We won’t be texting “Have a great birthday” to him on our phones.
If only we had asked him to list out some of the things he wanted, then we could really do it right.
Wait.😉
You say it:
He did. He gave us ideas.
We have plenty of ideas for a simpler Christmas straight from Jesus himself.
What can we do that would please him?
Here’s a quote from an article that reveals what Jesus told us to do. (It’s by Ed Elliott, here’s the link: Jesus didn’t teach his disciples to love him.)
Jesus didn’t teach His disciples to love Him, He taught them why He loved them, and if they would keep themselves in the love He had for them, they would be able to love others in the same way He was loving them.
This was how Jesus taught His disciples to love God. When we know God’s love for ourselves, it is manifested in how we love people.
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:7–8).
You can’t love God and not love people, because loving people is what loving God is all about.
“Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 21).
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:7–8).
“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34).
More about what Jesus said…
In John 14:15 Jesus says “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
John 3:17 says, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”
It’s a lot of love, isn’t it?
It seems like it always gets to these three things we owe:
- Love
- Obedience
- Service.
Do you want to take your own personal adventure back into Christmas?
It helps! Exploring what people have written about having a connected Christmas, a simple Christmas, a true Christmas.
Find Your Way To A Simpler Christmas
If you’d like to jump in your own rowboat and head out over the vast “www” you’ll find a lot of beautiful stuff about the real Christmas.
It’s amazing what people have done to further the awareness for a simpler and more connected Christmas.
If you’d like to take the guided tour, check out these sites.
A Connected Christmas at Boundless.org. Truly beautiful in directing our thoughts to each other.
A Less Expensive More Meaningful Christmas at My Simpler Life. Written in 2008. Completely correct even today.
Five Ways to Rethink Christmas Gifts at SmartLiving365. A story about drawing the line that will make you think.
And one more: Wrapped in Love: Best Alternative Gift Ideas for Christmas at SimpleLifeSimpleFaith.
I love you. Because Jesus loved me. Thanks for coming here, for reading, and for searching for that better way.
Last week’s post was about Minimalist Christmas Gifts, so check it out if you’re looking for that kind of information. For more gift ideas, check out 5 Secrets to Giving The Perfect Gift. And don’t worry; they are still about love! Other Christmas topics include
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-Grammye
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Thank you for these links and this post! It is a struggle every Christmas season to know how to keep Christ the center of Christmas in our families. To have a simple Christmas.
Julie, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I completely agree: We struggle, and maybe it’s somewhat a struggle of our own making. There is a lot of peace in knowing we are trying to reduce the clutter in our celebrations (and maybe in our heads!) to narrow the focus.