Christmas Spirit - Where Do I Find It?

Okay, I admit it, I am a Christmas sap. I love the traditions and hoopla. I enjoy the decorations, lights, programs, movies, and music associated with the holiday season. So, how, at age sixty-nine, after an entire life of all this stuff, do I still have what we call Christmas Spirit? Answer: I don’t know; perhaps it’s just how I am.

Like most people, I do work at enjoying the season, and when I do, I discover that I don’t find Christmas Spirit; it finds me. Here’s how some of it happens.

Decide that Christmas is worth celebrating.

As a follower of Christ, I don’t want to miss His birthday or brush over it like it doesn’t matter much. It is a big deal. (By the way, along those lines, a message to my children. Please do not ignore my birthday! I want presents!). Just say’n.  

Some folks decide that since the specific holiday we celebrate has its’ roots in paganism, we shouldn’t participate. I propose that fact makes December 25th, though we do not know the date of Jesus’ birth, an even better day to remember the Savior’s advent. God specializes in taking things meant for evil and turning them on their head into something beautiful. If I remember correctly, Joseph of the Bible once told his brothers that the rotten things they did to him turned out to be God’s design. He said, “What you meant for evil, God meant for good.”

 If you don’t like the December 25th date for the event, then you could consolidate Christmas and October 18th, which is my birthday. You’d kill the proverbial two birds with one stone. I’m open to the idea.

And please take note: God loves celebrations and “special days,” even weeks. When the Almighty established guidelines for His people’s societal calendar, the year included numerous holidays accompanied by associated celebratory practices. God made it abundantly clear that every day or even week was not the same to Him. He wanted times set aside to remember, look ahead, and honor certain events. Years later, Jesus asked us to take time to remember His sacrifice regularly. So, we set aside time to remember how much He loves us and look forward to eternity with Him. Communion is more than a memorial; it is a celebration, and it is worth taking time out of our schedules to cherish this practice.

 I think the birth of God’s Son qualifies as an addition to the calendar, and I highly doubt the Eternal “Dad” is upset because we want to have a birthday party for His Son every year—just a thought.

So, Christmas is worth celebrating. Christmas Spirit starts there.

You might think, Okay, Hamilton, I’ll give you that, but what about all this commercialism, rushing around until I’m ready to drop, going into debt, and all the other trappings of the holiday? I’m glad you asked.

Given all those things take place, might I suggest that we take control of our lives and only participate in that which is helpful, inspiring, and in tune with our personalities? Take time and mental inventory of why you join in this holiday, and determine whether you are willing to adjust your schedule and budget to express God’s love for you by sharing it with people you love. It’s your choice, and it is worth a little sacrifice. We do this sort of thing all the time, why not Christmas?

This week, I made a yearly journey to Princeton University to attend Lessons and Carols in the vast, cathedral-like university chapel at Princeton. This service is a purely Catholic celebration of the birth of Jesus, and I love it. In case you didn’t know, I’m not a Catholic, but I am pretty confident we celebrate the birth of the same Jesus, so I’m down with that. I have several beloved Catholic friends and family members. Plus, they build nicer buildings. J

 I started attending this event because my son-in-law grew up attending the service and wants to continue the tradition, especially with his son. His uncle, a friend of mine, is a priest and always joins us for dinner, the event, and ice cream afterward. Ice cream is essential to Father Tom’s holiday celebration. Who could argue with that? I’m thinking the innkeeper brought Joseph and Mary some ice cream after the birth as a peace offering and the couple didn’t turn it down.  

What this event means for me is a two-and-a-half-hour drive to attend a one-hour service, interspersed with a meal and ice cream, followed by another two-and-a-half-hour numbing drive home late at night. Lessons and Carols is a delightful, tiring, long day. I love it. (By the way, I will stay overnight in Princeton next year. An ice-cream comma is not the best disposition to drive the Pennsylvania Turnpike at 11:00 p.m.)

 The service is peaceful, serene, inspiring, and contemplative, which is generally everything a typical evangelical Christmas service is not. The substance of the service is everything counter to commercialism. There is nothing like the sound of a choir proclaiming Christ’s birth in a colossal granite cathedral. The music is right up there with hosts of angels doing the same thing for a group of shepherds on a hill in Israel.

And the sound of a pipe organ vibrating your chest reminds you of God’s power.

 If you don’t want commercialism, debt, and too much rushing around, then don’t do it. It is your choice, and you can find Christmas Spirit with a balanced approach to the holiday. And, if you feel like you get forced into it, welcome to the real world. When I was fourteen, my mother told me to get a job, which I did, and I entered the labor force, where I remained for about fifty years. It worked out okay, especially when I quickly learned to embrace and love it. Some things we initially don’t want to do become our greatest blessings. Give it a chance. It’s all about our attitude.

 There are things in life that come as a package. When you married your wife, you didn’t realize the arrangement included Christmas Eve services and dinner afterward with her family. You don’t like Christmas Eve services, and you are going to be with this slightly off-kilter group the entire next day. How come they double the whole ordeal, you think? Who knows, they just do. So, buck up, stop whining, and embrace something important to your spouse and the family you elected to join. You might find hidden blessings in a small sacrifice. I think the definition of real sacrifice is God lying in a manger in a cattle stall, and it all worked out for Him. Maybe it will be for you too. Perhaps the sacrifice is even part of the Christmas Spirit. Who knows, you might also find a Christmas nugget somewhere in that service.

Christmas Spirit includes a bit of sacrifice.

There is another method of obtaining the Christmas Spirit that I find critical.

Make time for quiet reflection. No matter how hard we try, our schedules are busier during the holidays. The holiday schedule my wife and I experienced through the years was grueling. Christmas sermon series, church decorating, new music, Christmas Eve services, church and work parties, gift shopping and wrapping, cookie baking, and making the house look like a wonderland were just a few of our responsibilities. By the time I shut out the lights in the auditorium after four Christmas Eve services, I wanted to lie down on the seats and sleep it all off. (By the way, be kind to your church staff during the holidays. They are working their butts off to make your season memorable). However, I went home and entertained guests, followed by wrapping gifts at about 2:00 a.m.

Peace is not found in haste, and it is an essential part of Christmas Spirit. The angels offered us “peace on earth,” perhaps God knew that a quiet manger would symbolize peace better than a noisy Christmas service at the temple. So, make and take time to contemplate a few ingredients of Christmas.

I do this in several ways, but one of my favorites is to sit in my reading and writing chair in the living room and gaze upon the decorations I have carefully placed around the room. What does each of these symbols of my Christmas mean? Why do I put up a decorated tree? What does it mean to me? Why is there always a poinsettia on the cocktail table? There are candles and a winter picture of Central Park above my piano. Why? There is a pile of books and my prayer journal on the table next to me. How do they help me find the Christmas spirit?

If we only decorate our homes differently during the season for beautification, perhaps we’re missing the point. These beautiful objects should mean something important that represents God's love expressed through His Son. Contemplate those objects a bit and let their meaning sink into our souls.

And talk to God about the whole ordeal both then and now. Discuss Christmas with the Father. Talk to Him about your misgivings and disappointments. Share a bit of joy with Him, too. Become quiet in His Presence. There is peace in the Father’s Presence.

Perhaps, amid your contemplations, the Christmas Spirit will come upon you.

The fact is that there are a dozen ways Christmas Spirit will find you - a special gift to someone in need, a Christmas program at church or on the flatscreen, the excitement of your children or grandchildren, hugs from people you rarely see – this list goes on and on.

Friends, Christmas is worth celebrating, and the Christmas Spirit draws one closer to God if you let it. In the Almighty, you will find peace. The world could use a little peace these days.

Enjoy the season; it is God’s gift to you.

Live Inspired,

Don Mark