Simple Christmas
by Debbie Poer
It’s December 1st. How many times in the last week have you been asked if you’re ready for Christmas? It’s only the first! Those asking often mean:
Is your tree/are your trees up and festively decorated?
Is your home full of the sounds, colors, and smells of Christmas?
Are the gifts bought and wrapping begun?
Are the parties, dinners, and family gatherings planned?
It’s December 1st. Have you or I already misplaced the joy of Christmas in the mad rush “to be ready for Christmas?”
Incorporating some of the details in the story of Jesus’s birth can help us be ready for Christmas.
Quiet
So many events surrounding Jesus’ birth unfolded in quiet spaces. When the angel appeared to Mary, she was alone and not in a crowd (Luke 1:28). Joseph heard from God in the quiet of his sleep (Matthew 1:20, Matthew 2:13). The shepherds were enveloped in the quiet of night out in fields, away from town, watching their sheep (Luke 2:8). Jesus was born in a stable, far removed from the extreme bustling that would have surrounded his birth had it happened in a royal palace (Luke 2:12). And the wisemen certainly were not cruising at 70 mph on a super-highway (Luke 2:2).
How does all of that apply to our preparation for and celebration of Christmas? Although the world we live in is filled with noise there are ways that we can approach Christmas in times of quiet. One of my favorite ways to welcome the day is to get up before anyone else and enjoy the quiet of our home. Lights are turned on as if they were the sun rising – each area of the house awakening as it is used. It’s a quiet beginning to the day, especially in a busy season. Another way to experience the quiet of Christmas is to make time throughout the day to stop. Ten minutes of sitting alone could make a huge difference in how we experience Christmas. Each of the people who witnessed the first Christmas shared in the joy of it because they could hear above the noise.
Gifts
The first Christmas contains more gifts than those presented to Jesus by the wisemen (Matthew 2:11). The innkeeper, who did not even know them, gifted Mary and Joseph a place in which to shelter (Luke 2:7). We have been gifted the forgiveness of our sins because of that birth (Matthew 1:21). Not every gift given was a material gift nor were they given multiple gifts. Each gift was given out of a desire to fill a need or honor the recipients.
When trying to decide what gifts to give to family and friends I love to base them on a saying that has become popular in the past few years.
Something you want,
Something you need,
Something to wear,
Something to read.
Not everyone I give to receives all four gifts. Some will receive a single gift, one that has been chosen especially for him or her because I know and value that person. Nor will all gifts be given to people I know. Part of the joy of Christmas is being able to share out of my abundance, giving to people I don’t know or will never meet.
I can’t help but believe that the gifts given that first Christmas were given with a deep sense of compassion, gratitude, and joy for what they had and what they could share with others.
Celebration
Throughout the Christmas story we are made aware of different types of celebrations. We hear of the great multitude of heavenly hosts who sang, praising God (Luke 2:13-14). We glimpse a spirit of celebration in the shepherds as they hurried to see baby Jesus and then spread the word of His birth (Luke 2:16-17). The wisemen celebrated by traveling a great distance, bearing gifts just to honor the birth of this king. And without a doubt Mary and Joseph must have celebrated the birth of their first child, and even more so, knowing that he was more than an ordinary baby.
What does our celebration look like? Do we honor this King? Or do we get so lost in celebration for the sake of celebration that we fail to pay tribute to God and what He’s done for us through His Son? Perhaps it is time for us (me) to put away celebration just to celebrate and actually acknowledge I am celebrating the birth of my Savior.
I think part of what I am sharing with you today is my own desire for Christmas to become simpler than what I have allowed it to become. Quiet is simple, gift giving can be simple, and celebration can be simple. In the simpler ways of doing things, I may just find stronger joy and at the same time have a deeper understanding of the meaning and greatness of Christmas.
