Whats a special Christmas memory you have?
For me, this one Christmas my mom had won a Christmas giveaway from a casino in California. We had no idea they won because for the holidays we would go down to Mexico to visit our family. When we got back to California, my siblings and I saw the biggest tree we ever had up until that point decorated immaculately. The tree was lined with so many presents that we didn’t know what to do. We all had more presents than we ever had before. I remember my mom trying to get us to believe Santa brought the gifts in but we never took to that belief. Around this age and time was when I developed fond memories of watching “How the Grinch stole Christmas.” Till this day it is my favorite Christmas movie.
My school had this choir class where we would sing all these different songs for different parts of the year. We always learned and sang Christmas songs. California was a time in my life when Christmas meant a lot more to me and more effort was put into the holiday as a whole. One of my favorite past times is to watch holiday movies, a good movie surrounded by loved ones. It puts me into the Christmas spirit like no other
What gets you in the Christmas spirit?
Some people love to decorate their house, they start decorating as soon as they can. They don’t even wait until Thanksgiving has passed. Every year they decorate sooner and sooner. We may start to see people decorating before Halloween is even over. Others love to get their tree whether real or not and to decorate it. They have all custom ornaments for their tree. My mom loves her tree, she has left the tree up well into January. It got to the point where it was concerning.
For you, it could be hosting Christmas parties. You want people to come over in their Christmas pajamas and hang out and build ginger bread houses. And you get the white elephant going with your loved ones. Whatever it is, it gets you going for Christmas. There are so many unique traditions that make Christmas what it is for all of us. Without these Christmas would still happen but it just wouldn’t be the same.
What If you didn’t feel anything for Christmas but sadness?
After leaving California, we moved to Arizona and then Florida. My mom started to date a man who she was with for years. Around this time my mom started to work a lot to provide for us since the man she was with wasn’t working. For a while things were as they were before we moved to Florida. She eventually got a side job which was to work events, this job ended up taking her time for the holidays because they paid more during these seasons. This meant for any major holiday my mom wasn’t present since she was working.
This started to change the dynamic of our holidays. We wouldn’t really celebrate anything since my mom wasn’t around to organize our holidays. My step dad at the time would make us stay in our rooms and we weren’t allowed to leave for any reason. My step dad’s family lived right next to us and they always celebrated the holidays. He would go over to their house to celebrate and leave us home all alone with nothing to do. This started me down a path of not really being able to get into a holiday spirit or have traditions to look forward to. It also made the holidays a time where I was more vulnerable in my emotional state.
There are other people who have a hard time during the holidays. I know some might have to do with how the holidays were during your childhood. Others have lost loved ones during this time and the holidays have never been the same again. You may have your own reason for being sad during the holidays. Maybe you just feel a void that can’t be filled during this time. I have fallen into one of these categories I shared above. So, how am I pivoting this Christmas season?
How do we redeem Christmas for ourselves?
I started to think about what the Christmas season really meant. Was it the lights? The presents? The decorations? For me, it’s the people and how this time brings them together. Which is why one of my favorite movies is the Grinch. It was a time in my childhood where I spent the holidays with the people I treasured the most. I started to focus on this aspect; seeing the good in being around those I love. I started to listen to Christmas music, which I typically did not do. I found that most christmas songs are about your loved ones and the magical feelings this brings out of all of us. Lastly I focused on the true reason for the season.
Luke 2:4-14:
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Jesus Christ was prophesied beforehand and then brought into this world to be the sacrifice for our sins. To live life as fully man and be tempted in every way and not sin. To be the great shepherd to us. Although he may not have been born in the Christmas season exactly, having a time to celebrate but also remember this necessary sacrifice, on our behalf, brings unbridled joy and humility in a time where we are caught up in other things. Having this reminder of true love and reminding myself of it daily helped bring a change to how my holidays feel.
I want to highlight an actual manifestation of this joy in the same chapter.
Luke 2:28- 32
28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;30
for my eyes have seen your salvation
31
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
These are words spoken by Simeon a devout man in Jerusalem. The Holy spirit had revealed to him that he would see the Lord Christ before his death. The spirit led him to the temple where he saw Jesus. The amount of peace and love that Simeon must have felt in that moment to lay his eyes and hold in his hands the Savior of this world. The only begotten Son of God. One can only imagine that feeling. But reading this chapter, two days into December with my young adult group on our way to Christmas, it sparked the fact that I’m living in what Simeon saw. The sacrifice that Jesus Christ made by giving His life for me. This simple truth sparked my journey of reclaiming Christmas for myself. It can also do the same for you.