A sweet vintage nativity set caught my eye the other day. The plaster characters were made in Italy and must have been about 70 years old. We have several nativities already, but this one intrigued me. As I bent down to examine it I saw the price tag: $29.95 AS IS.
Caution lights flash in my head when I see “AS IS” on a product. How about you?
“AS IS” usually tells the buyer that something is amiss with the product. So what’s the problem here? I wondered.
Carefully lifting the tray which held the characters of the first Christmas, I carried it to a place where I could look it over. I remembered our THREE nativities that have no Joseph, which I wrote about a year ago. But this one had a Joseph. Good! And there was Mary, the angel, three wise men and two shepherds!
I counted six sheep (that’s quite a few, I’d say, but it doesn’t qualify as an As IS.) Also included were two camels and one cow.
Everything seemed to be in order. So what was wrong with it?
I looked again. Wait, where was the Christmas baby? There was NO JESUS in this nativity set! Needless to say, I didn’t purchase it.
Christmas without Jesus is missing the point altogether.
During the month of December our calendars fill up with shopping trips and lunches with friends. We bring out the Christmas decorations, trim the tree, test the indoor and outdoor lights, and get them all up. It’s time to make Christmas cookies, attend parties, and plan our Christmas dinner. Our gift list takes over as we shop the festive stores and pour over online shopping sites. Delivery trucks drop off our purchases and we wrap them and put them under the tree. And Christmas songs, both religious and secular, fill the air. “Joy to the world, the Lord is come…He’s making a list and checking it twice…Have a holly, jolly Christmas…Sleep in heavenly peace.”
Christmas tension is real! We can exhaust ourselves with all our preparations, ending up weary and tense. And there is plenty of tension between the celebration of Jesus and the celebration of our cultural traditions. We can easily lose sight of Jesus in the midst of the mixed messages of the season.
Just so you know, these are real struggles for me, too. So I offer the following suggestions to us all.
Five Ways to Keep Christ in Christmas
- Ask the Lord to show you how you may have left him out of your celebration and what you might do to honor his birth.
- Make time to read the Christmas story. Consider reading it in all three gospels that include it: Matthew 1-2; Luke 1-2; and John 1:1-20. Imagine yourself as a character in the story—the prophetess Anna, maybe, or a shepherd, or Herod. What was happening in the mind of that character? How did Jesus’ birth impact the people of the time? How can it impact people now?
- Welcome Jesus into your Christmas. Let him be the center of your celebration.
- Listen to Christmas music that honors Jesus. You can find songs on streaming services such as YouTube, Spotify, and Pandora. Learn a new song about Jesus’ coming. Post a Christmas song you especially like on social media.
- Share your Christmas joy with others. Acknowledge him to people as you have opportunity.
Wishing you all a joy-filled, Christ-filled Christmas!
Ginger
I think this is a good way to celebrate Christmas. Over the years our family would get up and have sticky buns. And listen to Christmas music, watch Christmas movies and. But now our has gotten smaller and other family members celebrate Christmas with their own. Dad would read about the birth of Jesus. Now in these changes, I’m trying to get together with my daughter, grandson, which isn’t always on Christmas. It’s not the same, without the other family memories, traditions. It has gotten for me the times with all them. Traditions have changed as we get older. We need to remember Christmas is about Jesus.
Cindy, it sounds like your family had some great Christmas traditions. Do you and your daughter and grandson have any special Christmas traditions? Maybe when you see them next you can talk about some of your Christmas memories!
Ginger
It’s gotten harder on me because of changes . But I need [to remember] it’s not about traditions but Jesus.
I agree with you, Cindy, that our traditions change over time. And when our family scatters or aren’t available to get together it just doesn’t seem the same. But Jesus never changes and always welcomes us to spend our day with him.
I hope you will get to see family this Christmas but, if you can’t, I hope you will have a sweet day with Jesus himself.
Love to you,
Ginger
How true – there would be no Christmas without the birth of our Savior.
Marlene, I am so grateful for the gift of Jesus and the life he offers us!
Ginger
He IS the reason for the season😉❣️❣️
Merry Christmas to you and the family, and make sure you give your mom love and Christmas wishes from the Al and kids Cross family ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks, Jeff! I’ll be sure to give Mom your love an Christmas wishes. Please pass on our Merry Christmas to your dad and family!
Thank you Ginger. I’m so glad I found your website and I love your story of the missing Jesus. A few years ago during a heartbreaking season, I could barely stand the thought of setting up my Christmas tree. My friend Debbie suggested that I create scripture promise ornaments. I bought some ceramic angels at the store and glued my favorite Bible promises on them. Just the act of creating the ornaments helped me immeasurably. Each day I would read the verses and remember that God was for me. Now each year when I set up my tree, I am encouraged to stay close to Jesus.
What a wise friend Debbie was for you! I love that she didn’t run out and buy you the Scripture promise ornaments. She put the idea in you head so you could put your hands and your heart to the task. It sounds like it brought you a lot of healing that year and reminds you each year of God’s love and care for you. What a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Ginger