Why Hate Christmas?!

So... I’ve had this blog site for about three months and have yet to post ANYTHING, so I figured it was about time. As this is my favourite time of year EVER, I thought I would write about Christmas time, but not in the normal fashion. Instead of talk about all the things that I LOVE about Christmas, I thought it would be important to touch base on why people hate Christmas.

The other day I was talking with a friend about how this season was my favourite ever, and how I was SO excited to go home and be with my family for this wonderful time of year. It was at that time my friend expressed how they weren’t excited for the holiday at all; in fact, they were saddened by the fact that they weren’t able to ward off the season any longer. This saddened and intrigued me because, growing up in a family that went all-out during this season, I couldn’t understand why it could bring stress and unease. That is when I decided to dig up why families hate Christmas.

As I looked into the Christmas season, I found that instead of it being a season to remind us how much we have and should be thankful for, it has been so commercialized that it seems to just remind some that they will never be able to fully appease their child’s/loved one’s material desires by buying them the latest gadget or iPod. How have we let our society come to this?! What used to be a time of families gathering together and revelling in each other’s presence has turned into a pagan celebration stressing the fact that if you have no gift to give, you don’t belong in the fellowship of others. I suggest we dig deep within ourselves and realize what this wonderful season is about. It is about our wonderful Savior being born into this dark world so that we might be able to be saved into glory. It is not about how many gifts you can buy your friends, or even how many you receive, but rather spreading this wonderful love that was instilled in us over 2000 years ago by imparting even a simple smile or hello to someone who is frowning and seemingly having a bad day. THAT is the true meaning of Christmas; LOVE.

I’d like to make a charge to us all. When our families gather this Christmas, let’s not focus on the gifts, the lack of, or the rows that may occur; let’s focus on the amazing gift that was bestowed on us; the Son of God, and even more, His LOVE. The love that surges through our veins and brings us together with family and friends and allows us to forgive what may have been in the past. Let us look to this season with open arms and hearts; welcoming those back into our lives that may have cost us the most pain in the past because if a heart is broken, what better remedy than Christ’s love shining through us?? Instead of getting caught up in the material, even though gift giving can be a great part of this season, let us instead take time to thank God for all the many blessings He bestows upon us every day. Let’s look upon one another with grace and mercy, bringing new starts with this new season and let us not forget the famous words of the loveable Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol when he most lovingly stated, “God bless us, everyone.”