Christmas, of course.

It's Christmas Eve. Isn't it funny how everyone is supposed to be so excited for Christmas and the joy that comes along with such a fun time of giving and being around family? Yet, look around. Go to the mall, walmart, or even just drive past. Am I missing the joy? I'm not seeing much! We've taken a sacred holiday (holy day) reserved for remembering the birth of Christ and twisted it into a selfish, hectic, and most stressful time of all. I have to get all these presents for all these people and I have to spend as much money as she spent on me and I must have the perfect tree and decorations, and heaven forbid if someone else take the last hickory honey ham (like Christmas with the Kranks)! What if I forget someone who remembered me? Did I send a Christmas card to those people I haven't seen since high school 15 years ago??

There's so much stress and, as my high school English teacher would call it, foofaraw! In my family, I only have mom and dad to buy presents for. My mom buys things for my cousins and grandparents. That leaves me with 2 people to buy for! Then of course my friends. Christmas doesn't really stress me out at all because I just don't have much to worry about. I hope that when I have my own family we will focus on spending time together and not worry so much about gifts and greetings. These distractions take away from the real meaning of Christmas, celebrating the birth of the One who makes redemption possible, the One who was born to die, the One who left all the splendor and lovliness of heaven to come to a filthy, sin-filled earth where people, the very ones he came to save would reject him. I wouldn't have done that, and if we're honest, no one really would. But Jesus, God the Son, - in his perfect amazing plan - did. Paul, the writer of Romans, recognized this wonderful irony.

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person -- though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die -- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

How can we be so selfish when we reflect on the self-less origin of Christmas!? I get so excited about what I think people will get me for Christmas, because I do afterall except SOMEthing, and something good. Often I am disappointed, because I'm picky. I think I'm pretty easy to buy for, but I don't think anyone agrees with me. Many times I'm ungrateful because ... if you can't buy the right thing, just don't buy anything at all! That's the wrong attitude though.

On the other side, many people, especially on one side of my family, give gifts just to say that they gave something. They feel bad if they don't give me anything for Christmas, so they just find ANYthing to give me, even if it's pointless and I wouldn't really like it. Then I feel bad for not liking the gift... But shouldn't they feel bad for not really thinking about their gift? I feel like they just give in order to make themselves feel better. It certainly doesn't make me, the recipient feel good to get a senseless gift, and even worse, hate it. I'm not really one to act to please someone, so if I don't like something, it's not exactly a secret. 

There we go again; gifts, gifts, gifts... who cares??! We all do, but should we? Does it really matter if I get a senseless gift? Does it really matter that they got me something - regardless of the reason? No... the only thing that really matters is the true reason of Christmas. It's difficult to stay focused on the story we all know and hear every year multiple times in December.

Soon it'll be over, and our lives go on with or without the gifts we wanted. The only thing we really need, Jesus, is still there all year long. Aren't you glad he didn't decide to only give us forgiveness, grace, mercy - all the undeserved privileges we take for granted - only at Christmas time? Let's be thankful now and all year long.