Keeping Christ in Christmas

A few weeks ago, I watched Christmas with the Kranks, a film adaptation of John Grisham's novel Skipping Christmas. The protagonist is Luther, a middle-aged married accountant. Each year, he and his wife spend lots of money for Christmas: dresses for the office party and the one at home, food, the obligatory Christmas cards and the annual donations to fund raisers.

He is fed up with it all--the bills and the stress. Just this once, he vowed, he wants a break. Their grown-up daughter is abroad anyway, so why not skip Christmas altogether? No tree, no party, no donations equals no stress.  None of the mad rush to buy presents, look for the best ham or the best wine or putting up the snowman on the rooftop. No bills to pay for another dress too.

Just Luther and his wife, spending the holidays on a beautiful tropical island.

  

Christmas is around the corner. We begin our shopping for presents and things needed for the celebrations. We start organising the parties, making sure everything will run smoothly. In all the stress, we get caught up and we dash to get the things we forgot to buy. We feel like throwing the towel in when you call the baker and he says sheepishly that the cake cannot be delivered on time for one reason or another. Or the person assigned to put the sound system together forgot about it.  Organising a party is not easy job.

In all the haste, in all the rush, take a breath or two. Let us remember that there is more to the twinkling lights shaped to look like a perfect reindeer sleigh, or the most mouth-watering Christmas ham. It is more than just the perfect parties we throw or attend. It is more than the presents we give or receive. Yes, some glitches dampen the mood. But those mishaps should not overshadow the real cause of the celebration. They should not be a ground for a miserable Merry Christmas.

The event is called Christmas for a purpose. It is about Christ and His gift of salvation. A way of bailing us out from the eternal barbecue grill, as my friend put it. That is what Christmas is all about: salvation. 


That being said, we should call the celebration the way it is named: Christmas. It is not merely a holiday. It is about Christ. A chance to reflect on His gift: to accept or not to accept--that is the question. Come to think of it, without Christ, we would not be celebrating something on the 25th of December. There would be no Christmas. 

A few days more and celebrations will be in full swing. Whether you will be throwing a party or attending one, have fun.  Above all, remember to keep Christ in Christmas. 

Have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year.