It’s Christmas Around the World, But How Will You Celebrate?
Christmas is once again upon us and people have already began to celebrate Christmas around the world. Great holiday Christmas lights and holiday displays decorate the streets of our cities and villages, Christmas music fills the air, and last minute Christmas shoppers crowd the shops, the malls and department stores all over. Sometimes it is really easy to get caught up in the Christmas hype and only concern ourselves with superficial things like money and Christmas presents. The economy may be rough right now, and it may be a tight Christmas around the globe, but we must not lose sight of the true meaning of the Christmas holiday, the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.
Christmas is not about getting our most wanted and favourite new gadgets. It also isn’t about who has the biggest Christmas tree or greatest display of Christmas lights in town. It is not about the food or any of the other indulgences prevalent at this time of the year. It is first and foremost, the celebration of the extreme and boundless love of God for us. Yes, God loved the world so much that He gave all that He could give – His only Son – to bridge the gap between us and eternal life. Christmas is about love; not the romantic love that so many singers today sing about; but rather about God loving us and we in turn loving Him through each other. Christmas is about spending time with each-other, with our loved-ones and sharing our appreciation of each-other. Most importantly it is about thanking God for sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from damnation by dying for our sins on the Holy Cross.
If you do concern yourself with having the best holiday display in the neighbourhood, be sure to include a memorial to Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The greatest idea for doing this is to display a Nativity scene on your front yard. The classic sentimental display of the birth of Jesus Christ is a tradition carried along in many Christian families, and is a great way of celebrating Jesus’ birth. You can often see Nativity scenes displayed in the courtyards of our Churches and in the front yards of many homes this Christmas and many Christmas’ past.
Consider honouring the birth of Jesus Christ our beloved Saviour and Lord this year in all of your Christmas decisions. It is important to also include the children in your faith and explain to them what the true meaning of their favourite holiday, Christmas, is. A great way to introduce children to the true meaning of Christmas is to explain to them about baby Jesus, the three Wise-men and by using the animals from the Nativity display. Children love animals and using a Nativity scene designed specifically for kids, featuring cuddly dolls and stuffed animals, is a great way to make the learning experience fun and meaningful to them.
I am personally of the view that there is nothing wrong with telling them about Santa, but the birth of Jesus Christ must be portrayed as being far more important that Santa, and honouring Jesus’ birth must be practiced. I grew up believing in Santa Claus. I grew up believing that in time for Christmas around the world, he went from house to house, delivering toys to every little girl and boy. I’d go to bed all excited on the eve of Christmas, and woke up Christmas morning to see gifts under the Christmas tree, or at the foot of my bed, before we had a Christmas tree. But my parents instilled in all of us that Jesus was first, and so before we could touch our gifts, we all, my siblings and I, had to go to Mass first. When we got back from Mass, we would then have breakfast, after which, we could open the gifts that Santa left for us.
People have already started celebrating Christmas around the world. If you really want to have a life changing merry Christmas, then put Jesus at the center of your celebration and build your whole life on Him. Make sure you remind all of your loved-ones this Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Light of the world.
