Soul Food: “Five Things Not To Do At Christmas” by May Patterson

 

Even with the world in turmoil, billions of people will pause for an entire day to recognize and celebrate the birth of Christ — that is pretty special and I want to join them. This year, in light of gloomy world events, I want to make Christmas joyful. Soul satisfying. Celebratory. And, of course, fun.

But…

It’s so easy to get caught up in holiday minutia. I want to make it über festive. Give fabulous gifts. Volunteer. Sing in the Christmas choir. Whip up homemade goodies for the neighbors. And I get too tired to enjoy the deeper meaning and just have fun. The world is pausing to celebrate Christ—am I?

This year, I want to have a celebration, not a headache. So, I am making a list of what not to do, so I can have myself a merry little Christmas. (Feel free to add to my list in the comments section)

No Guilting: “You WILL be in the Christmas play, or you’ll ruin Christmas, forever.” Christmas plays are not mandatory (who knew?), but some try to make it that way. Volunteering is wonderful, but not if we do it out of guilt. Even family gatherings are optional (theoretically). Both guilting others and being guilted is wrong (although effective). We have great holiday expectations, but actually, it’s okay to stay at home and not make the rounds. Letting others dictate our schedules keeps us too busy to enjoy Christmas. Decide to do the most meaningful thing. Spend the days glorifying God. If it means staying home and having family worship or even a game night, that is okay.

No Competing: “Oh great, their decorations look so good, now I’ve got to totally redo mine.” I love to deck the halls and everything else. I identify with Chevy Chase and his Christmas lights—if someone down the street has more, I want to keep up. We compete from the gifts we give to the way we decorate. And worse, we compete secretly—excusing full-blown competition as “something I just wanted to do.” Competing kills the joy, quickly.

No Overspending: “Eric has one, everybody has one, and so I need two.” As I buy for others, I often buy for myself. Sometimes I buy pricey or trendy gifts, rather than useful ones. It’s easy to spend too much money and time shopping. Since today’s gifts often end up in tomorrow’s trash, sticking to a budget lessens holiday stress, especially when the bills arrive.

No Criticizing: “It’s just Un-American to eat sushi for Christmas dinner—they’re so weird.” Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes I get negative and critical—especially around the holidays. But being a Grinch isn’t very fun. So, if someone puts a giant, orange U.T. VOLS Santa on their roof—I should keep my mouth shut. I must refrain from criticizing tacky Christmas sweaters or even worse—Santa toilet seat covers (that’s pretty hard), because criticism blocks gratitude and true joy.

No Bragging: “Isn’t my homemade triple decker fruitcake beautiful and delicious?” IF I cook something fantastic…I may be tempted to brag, just a little. My kids are really special and I love to talk about them, but it’s easy to start bragging and even shoot for some extra compliments. But fishing in the compliments pond is really frustrating because I never seem to catch enough. The Apostle Paul says “no fishing” this way: “May I never boast about anything except the cross…” (Gal. 6:14). Bragging about me, or my kids, or even my fruitcake, on Christ’s birthday really does not honor Him—it only honors me.

What a blessing it is to have the freedom to celebrate Christ! Right now, many in the world do not have the liberty. Let’s not overlook this year’s opportunity. May we all have a joyful Christmas, finding joy in our Savior and in each other.

A Christmas Prayer:

Lord, you gave us Jesus, your very heart. He brought the gifts of light, grace and salvation to us—we celebrate all you have done.  You are always good, merciful, peaceful and loving—we celebrate all you are.  You will give us everlasting life, blessing and a glorious inheritance—we celebrate all you will do.  We pause to celebrate the gift that you are to the world and to each of us, personally.

Happy Birthday Jesus. Glory to God in the highest. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

1. How has Jesus been a gift to you, personally?
2. How can you express your gratitude for Christ?

Treasure Hunt:

“In the beginning the Word already existed.  The Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He existed in the beginning with God.  God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.  The Word gave life to everything that was created,  and his life brought light to everyone.  The light shines in the darkness,  and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

John 1:1-5 (NLT)

Faith In Action: Make a list of Christ’s attributes and blessings. Celebrate a different one each day—this is a deeper way to enjoy the holidays.

Author:  May Patterson

May Patterson, author of the book A Time to Seek, began writing in response to God’s grace. And by His grace, she has written magazine articles, Bible studies, and spoken at a variety of events. Her desire is to help people draw closer to God. May is married to her dear friend Mike and they have three grown children. She has a great love for the outdoors, travel and blogging at http://maypatterson.tumblr.com.