It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and not just inside the department stores anymore. This past weekend, our family decorated for Christmas and it was the first time in a few years we actually managed to wait until after Thanksgiving! Stores have been decorated for a month and radio stations have already switched over to be completely devoted to Christmas music, but now that it’s after Thanksgiving, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go.

The classic Christmas song, written in 1951 by Meredith Wilson, is very much about the consumerism nature of the holiday. It’s the toys in the windows, kids making lists, and of course the decorations that make where we go look a lot like Christmas. We can go a bit nuts with the decorations these days; while Clark Griswold had “25,000 Italian-imported twinkle lights” on his house, people now have giant inflatables as a popular staple in outdoor Christmas decorating. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with Frosty the Snowman and Santa and Rudolph and all the characters that are associated with the holiday, but we have to ask ourselves, which Christmas do we want to reflect?

The Encyclopedia Britannica gives two different classifications for Christmas, citing it as both “a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus” and “a secular family holiday.” Over the years, the secular family holiday version has sought to push the Christian festival out, replacing the phrase “Merry Christmas” with “Happy Holidays.” It’s even gotten to the point now where most, if not all, retailers and restaurants will avoid the word “Christmas” altogether. Instead of Christmas lights or a Christmas tree, it’s holiday lights and a holiday tree. Since there is such a stark distinction between the Christian festival celebrating Christ’s birth and the secular family holiday, then as Christ’s representatives, we should make a clear stand on which one we are celebrating.

“So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

“If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26)

Church leaders agree that people are more receptive to the message of Christ around Christmas and Easter, so we should take advantage of how God has prepared people’s hearts this time of year. An easy way we can point our neighbors to the true meaning of Christmas is through our decorations; after all, it’s how the outside world will see us—don’t you want to point to the true meaning of Christmas? The word “Christmas” means “mass on Christ’s day,” which is a feast commemorating the birth of Jesus. With a Nativity scene in your yard, it’s a small thing you can do to show those around you that you know and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. In some cases, Nativity scenes have shrunk to near imperceptible sizes or worse, they have been replaced altogether by secular decorative displays.

“‘The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.’” (John 15:19)

“But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.” (Philippians 3:20)

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

Please don’t misunderstand—our family, along with over 2 billion other people in this world, will be opening presents around a Christmas tree on December 25. This post is not a bashing of the secular celebration of Christmas. It is simply a challenge to Christians to not shy away from displaying and talking about the birth of our Lord and Savior. This time of year is a great opportunity to point others to Jesus Christ. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, so which Christmas are you displaying?

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

—Redeemed