happy holidays

here are some holiday traditions that I’m getting over:


1. the holiday economy-
there was a time when Christmas was about giving gifts to the people you love. now it feels like we’re buying presents to keep America alive and the economy rolling. black Friday is now a national holiday and the stores are opening earlier and earlier. there is no thanksgiving anymore because the Christmas decorations go right up after Halloween. is this so people can make sure they get those gifts for their loved ones? nope! its so the mall can boost their profits. poor thanksgiving!


2. presents for grown-ups-
I’m all about giving presents to kids on Christmas (heck- everyday is Christmas for jane!). and I’m ok with giving a gift at Christmas to appreciate a co-worker, or your favorite, hard-working, and handsome youth pastor; but gifts for grown-ups is weird. here is how it plays out: no one knows what to get for grown-ups, they don’t want to just trade gift cards, so they take a risk and buy them something that they hope they’ll like or that they hope will fit. they usually don’t like it, or already have one, or it doesn’t fit. so the giver feels bummed (and a little poorer,) and the receiver feels awkward at trying to appreciate this gift.
my solution is the no-present-christmas. this year at thanksgiving, I had some great food and enjoyed the company of my family- what more do you need?


3. Christmas trees-
ummm- trees are from outside. who decided to cut them down and bring them inside? and what do they have to do with jesus? they probably have more to do with jesus’ competitors than jesus Himself. and- yeah- they are a fire hazard! and they make a mess! and they are expensive! and sappy! if you want to enjoy the smell of pine, get a candle! or go to the forest! (I know- I’m the grinch). by the way, we have a little fake tree-
compromise.


4. presents the mall.
I haven’t been to the mall in weeks, and I don’t regret it. going to the mall will kill your holiday spirit instantly. we drive huge cars around these overcrowded parking lots and get road rage while we wait in car-lines for people to slowly get in their cars and give up their precious parking spots. then once you get inside, more crowds, lines, and ticked off shoppers and employees. yeah- I’m over it.


5. lights on the house-
I’m surprised that the green people have not raised a stink about how much energy that Christmas lights use. unrolling Christmas lights and getting on a ladder and stapling them in, and then taking them back down because one of them is broken is a DRAG! I leave it to the professionals at Christmas in the park or something like that. (I know- I’m Ebenezer scrooge).


6. gift cards (or as I like to call them, GC’s)
these solve a big problem- because you’re letting the receiver pick out what they want. but they aren’t all that fun to open, and you can’t use them until after Christmas, and you can’t really use them until WAY after Christmas, because all of the stores are empty until February or something like that. but if you are going to give a gift card, be a little more creative than starbucks. (for those of you that got me a starbucks card- really- I’m grateful for it!)


7. cleaned-up nativity scenes-
the whole birthing deal is pretty messy, scary, and PAINFUL! mary had no hospital, nurse, drugs, boiled water- she wasn’t even indoors! (it was probably more of a cave than a well structured barn.) she is lucky to have lived through this!
and what about the hay! there is no hay in the holy land! so what did jesus lay in if it wasn’t a manger for hay?
probably a watering trough.
and the place where Jesus was born was made for animals! there was poo everywhere!
and the donkey that she rode in on- donkeys were for the wealthy. mary walked into Bethlehem at nine months pregnant.
oh- and doesn’t the bible say that there was a price on the infant’s head?! and his security team was mary and joseph?!
we keep cleaning up the story- maybe its too filthy for us to handle.


8. “the holidays”
the whole “happy holidays” thing has gotten to me this year. I know its not that big a deal to not say “merry Christmas,” but what holidays are people referring to when they say “happy holidays?!” Christmas! jane and I were just at Chuck E. Cheese, and they had their “holiday songs” on. it was a downer. they sang jingle bells and “O Christmas Tree.” and there were people on the screens wishing me a very happy holidays and hoping that my family would enjoy the spirit of the holidays. ugh.


Christmas is about Jesus.
not shopping, not decorations, not the economy or sales or the mall. its not about out-giving your relatives or lame songs about trees.
its about the word becoming flesh dwelling among us-
its about the almighty choosing a new name for Himself:
“Immanuel:
God
with
us.”


so this Christmas remember that jesus came from heaven
to be born in a stinky, filthy cave-
all so that He could be born in our stinky, filthy, hearts-
Merry Christmas.


“for to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
and he will be called
wonderful counselor, mighty God,
everlasting father, prince of peace.
of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
he will reign on david's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
the zeal of the LORD almighty
will accomplish this.”
-isaiah 9