I haven’t always loved Christmas. If I’m being honest, there were a lot of years when I really didn’t love Christmas. At all.
Growing up with divorced parents oftentimes means stressful holidays, or at the very least, Groundhog Day-esque holidays where you wake up and do it all over again the next day. Year to year there’s a weirdness or lack of tradition, or at the very least, added stress that sometimes overshadows the actual event. Christmas was like the epitome of this kind of stress. Usually, one Christmas season consisted of 4-5 back to back events, feeling more like a Christmas/8 days of Hanukkah hybrid than anything else. And that was in the days before in-laws. So whew! It was a lot.
I’ve always enjoyed being with my family, don’t get me wrong. But it just lacked a certain special something in my eyes. There wasn’t a magic. Mostly it was my own fault, as a bratty teenager wanting to do whatever I wanted and not wanting to be on 19 different people’s schedules. Still, I didn’t really love Christmas.
That is, until I met and subsequently married Mr. Christmas.
And now, I have a new, wonderful appreciation for the holiday, so I thought I might share some thoughts on how loving Christmas has really helped me and my heart. As a late-comer to the whole loving Christmas game, bear with me for some of the more “duh” epitomes I may have. =)
How Loving Christmas Helps Your Heart
1: It encourages you to see the good in everyone and everything around you. Even the songs promote love and laughter and unity and fellowship.
2: It forces you to think of others’ needs and interests above your own (especially if you hate shopping).
3: It reminds you to believe. Believe seems to be the theme of the season (Thanks Polar Express!), and whether it’s believing in good gifts from above or good in the people you encounter everyday, having reminders to believe is a good thing.
4: It strengthens family ties. Be it quirky traditions, all day tree decorating, or insane amounts of Christmas cookies and Elf-marathons. Christmastime is memory-making time, which is family-strengthening time. I know it has definitely made me feel a hundred times closer to my childlike, Christmas-loving, joyful husband.
5: It puts a song in your heart, which always makes your day brighter.
6: It causes reflection. Each ornament tells a story. Some tell stories of people we’ve lost. Some tell stories of people we love. Some are memories once terrible now turned humorous. All make you appreciate where you’ve been and how far you’ve come. All make you appreciate the people who shaped you into the person you’ve become, whether by fire or by their shining example.
7: It encourages fellowship. This year alone, I will have been involved in 4 Christmas-related activities with my brothers and sisters in Jesus. It’s not that we don’t get together other times throughout the year, but it’s usually not 4 times in a month in addition to worship and Bible classes. I love it!
8: It reminds me of my blessings. Every year I struggle to come up with a “Christmas list” and that’s because I am so very blessed. With material blessings, with spiritual blessings. My entire life is a blessing!! And this time of year, I am forced to praise God for all of the good He has bestowed upon me.
9: It erases bitterness. I can’t stay mad at Christmastime. I can’t hold a grudge against a family member. I can’t harbor ill-will toward a santa-hat-wearing individual. Instead, I’m merry and bright and peaceable with all those I come into contact with. Christmas helps ease tension. Christmas helps me be who I need to be.
10: It points me to Jesus. Was Jesus born on Christmas day? No. Do I celebrate the 25th as His birthday? No. But do I hear people singing O Holy Night and Away in a Manger, and praise God for sending Jesus? Absolutely. And I praise God that more people are open to Him this time of year, and willing to listen to His truth. And I pray that I will be a better servant for my Savior, pointing people to Him instead of chastising them and turning them away.
It’s easy to be Scrooge-like when things aren’t perfect. It’s better to be Christ-like and make things peaceful and enjoyable. I am so thankful to have been given the time to grow into a person who loves Christmas, and I pray that I spread good cheer to all men not only this time of year, but all 365 days that I encounter them.
