By: Emily Lehner
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As I sit here, just days away from Christmas Day, I realize that I find myself reflecting more and more on the holiday season.
This time of year passes quickly, and the past few years, I have felt like I have not gotten a chance to really pause and bask in the season at all. I notice my wide-eyed, wondrous innocence slipping away. Christmas Day seems to arrive and leave so quickly, and on December 26th, I am just ready for Spring to bring warmth and green leaves. December 26th brings emptiness.
While there has been an abundance of decadent traditions that have appeared in the last few holiday seasons – Peppermint Mocha Lattes being a rather popular one- I can’t help but ask myself if these traditions compare to those of my youth, my parents’ youth and even my grandparents’ youth.
I’ve noticed myself relating these items to a successful Christmas holiday season. It is frustrating to me that when I do not experience all the Hallmark Christmas movie marathons or listen to enough Christmas music, I feel I have missed the entirety of the Christmas season.
After much reflection, I’ve concluded that the only way it is possible to feel as if you have gotten any true joy from the Christmas season is to realize that the true meaning of Christmas isn’t intended to be celebrated only in the month of December.
The true meaning of Christmas is not found within the scents of peppermint and pine, Christmas trees, presents or even Santa Claus, although these things do warm my heart. This day is a celebration of the birth of the Son of Most High, the birth of the most important person in the history of the world.
Because of the birth of Jesus, we have an opportunity to experience eternal life. This breath-taking gift brings an entirely different level of joy to the holiday season. It is a gift fit only for a king or queen, but is extended graciously and compassionately to us, the commoners.
Christmas for the Christian does not end when the radio stops playing Christmas songs or when all the presents have been opened. I challenge you to remember that God’s gift to us, the ultimate gift of his son, Jesus, is intended to be celebrated, viewed with awestruck eyes and cherished everyday of the year. After all, this gift did save our lives. His kingdom will never end (Luke 1:33), and our thankfulness shouldn’t either.
I encourage you to celebrate the wonder of Jesus every moment, not just this Christmas season!
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:11 )
Thank you, Lord, for a Christmas gift that never loses its worth and provides such an amazing example of sacrifice to us.
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Written by Emily Lehner, a writer for the Alumni Center and a sophomore Writing major at IWU. She is active on the cross country and track teams. She is passionate about using her writing skills to share the good news of Christ with others and writes often on her personal blog at www.emilylehner.wordpress.com.