Balancing the Christmas Message with Materialism
For Christians, Christmas is the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus. The Christ Mass honors God’s Son who was born of a virgin and sent to us to open the way to God and begin a new covenant with our Lord. No one knows the exact day Christ was actually born, but Christians celebrate his birth on December 25, a date that was a pagan celebration and chosen by a monk for the Christ Mass to provide an alternative to the pagan ritual. The season is a time of love and redemption, recognizing the miracle God gave us.
And beginning in October, sometimes earlier, we are bombarded with store advertisements, pressures to buy the perfect gift, find the greatest tree, hang the brightest lights in the neighborhood, and give until our bank accounts are empty and credit cards maxed out. How can Christians preserve the sanctity of the season in the midst of the “gimme” season?
For my family, we have set spending limits. And I don’t mean $200 per person. I’m talking like $30 per couple. We buy for our children, but even that has limits. They can choose to receive one expensive ($100 or so) or several small gifts. We do not ship cards to every person we have ever met. We do not buy gifts for people outside of the family. My son makes a card for his teachers, and if I am in a really good mood, I might bake cookies or brownies for very close friends. That’s it. I refuse to be swept up in the marketing madness that encompasses every industry from greeting cards to automobiles. Christmas is a time for family, for communing with God, for recognizing the miracle of Jesus, and for loving each other with a spirit that can never be matched by material possessions.
Others have shared with me how they preserve the true Christian message of Christmas in the midst of the materialism.
Sandra at Parenting Under the Stars discusses how she and her family concentrate on making memories together.
Allison at BCS Frenzy points out that giving to charities during the Christmas season means much more to people in need than a present for people you don’t even like.
The Baglady has provided a list of charities, reminding us that “you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.”
If you have a story of how you and your family balance the Christmas message with materialism, leave a comment and tell me about it.
christian, Christmas, Christmas shopping, Jesus’ birth, charities, blog carnival
December 12th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
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December 18th, 2007 at 9:27 am
[...] throwing a birthday party for Jesus for my religious ed classes. Marking the anniversary of the birth of Christ is the real reason this holiday exists, after all. So we’ve baked a cake and we’ll sing [...]
December 19th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
[...] Christmas approaches, I am noticing more and more people trying to be politically correct- and failing [...]
December 20th, 2007 at 5:55 am
[...] train set as jingle bell sort of sounds are heard in the background. He warns Kenneth about the no Christmas decoration rule. Kenneth insists they’re not Christmas decorations but winter fun decorations [...]
August 19th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
OUR GOD HE DOES HATE CHRISTMAS IN ALL ITS UNGLORIOUS DISPLAY OF WETTER ENTHUSIASM AND THE WHOLE ide OF A WHITE CHRISTMASS IS SO SUPERSILLIOUS A THING THAT OUR GOD IS GOING TO WANT TO ENTER INTO APLACE OF ASERTION AND ASK THE WHOLE COUNTRY TO GET RID OF CHRISTMAS BECAUSE THE PEOPOLE WHO ARE THE WORST CONSUMERS ARE TH MOST ADORING OF TH HOLIDAY BECAUSE IT IS TH ONE TIME OF YEAR TYHT EVERYONE IS SO HAPY AN SO NICE AN SO FRINDLY AN SO KIND ND SO GENROUSLY GIVING OF THEMSELVES EVN THOUGH THEY ARE NOT NORMALL LKE TYHAT YEAR ROND AND NOT AT ALL EVEN SO WAS SCRUG A MAN TO DISPICABLE A MN TO EVN BE CONSIDERED Q MAN OF GOD TO be a man to ever giT acces to GODS house so X X X X CHRISTMAS , SINCE IT IS A DY OF THE QUITSSNILUY HLIDY OF EVIL SONGS SONICE PEOPL O GIVE BOTTLES OF BOOZ AND WINE TO INK AN KIND NOT HAVE NOTS GET NOT BUT TOYS OTOYS GOD HATES , TO U WHO SLED . Y CANDY AND ILL TEMPERS TH FMLY ROUND TO BE A JACK OR JD WTH GINGER OR LEMONADE A PLENTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ILL MANNERED ALL WETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT OR DRY TOWN, EITHR OR BTH DO HVE CHRISTMAS DRINKS SO THEN A FAMILY SOBRIETY TEST SHOULD BE OFFERED TO ALL SINCE THEN YOU WILL KNOW WHICH IS A A A OR AA NEEDY THEN TO GET HELP FOR THEM INSTEAD OF BUYING THEM BOOZE SO THEN LATER DO NOT COMPLAIN WHEN THE POLICE ARE CALLED TO YOUR HOUSE AFTER A FIGHT HAS BROKE OUT AND BECAUSE YOU ALL WANT TO WASTE YOUR RESOURCES ON A THING SUCH AS CHRISTMAS AND ALL THE UNHAPPY THINGS THAT AS USUAL OCCURR EACH YEAR AND THEN YOU ALL GET SO DEPRESSED YOU THEN GO GET YOURSELF SIX FEET UBUQUITOUS WELLYSANDNOSINCEURDEADBUTYUWILLNOTHAAUNTTHCASTLESNCEYUNOTBEINVITEDINSIDETHEKINGDOMABOVEBUT BELOWUBWTHTHEEVILHAUNTEDASUSUALCASYURALLAREALREADYFRTHATEVILASUSUALHAUTINGPLACEUALLLLVESOVERYMUCHYMADEAMOVIEBOUTITANDTODEPLORABLEITWASWERTUSADTOSEEITONTHEVENUEASIWAAAAAAAAAASSSSSS?YESUWASANSOYUSHULDBEPEEPSAPLIGHTENENENENENENENENENENEN WRERIN SO DO GET IT RIGHT TO BE IN A A USUAL HOLIDAYMOOD URINEVILANDUDOEVILASALWAYSANDU ALLASUSUALDOKNOWTHE horrorsofchristmasnightmareandtoyou areallashamedly laugin i knowiwastooh wllwe go to a placeofillgottenloveand allto be toalliportanttocarebt ourGOD ISCATLETOMEOUTTHEBAG COMETO OUR GOD N PRAYER OGGEEEEEEE WOE ISMENDU IFFFFN WEEEE DONTTTTTTTEEEEE .AND THEN WHAT MOM DOES NOT LOVE YOU OH WELL TOO BAD SO THEN WHO CARES SINCE TO YOU KNOW THE SAD DAY IS AT HAND well then what THE LORD WILL COME AGAINN AND SO GET READY AND TO TODAY SINCE NO MAN KNOWSS NOW OR EVER KNEW SINCE THE DAY OMLYYYYYYYYYYYY THE LORD HE DOES KNOW IT IS HIS CHOICE TO SELECT THE DAY SO THEN FOLKS CAN THE HOLIDAYYYYYY CHEER AND NEVER EVER GO GET A BEER AND TOOOOO DO NOT GO TO GET A PIEEEEEEEEEEE EVN IF YOUR MOTHR ASKD YOU TOO SINCE YOU NVR FOGOT THT DA BCUS YOU OTHR SHE WAS TRWATING YU AS IF YOU ER HER PRIVATE SEVIND TO BE USSDAT WILL . AS IF YOU WR HRS TO RN RRNDS O FEW OR EVEN A HR BCUSE SHE WLD ABASASASASASASASASASANIN UD OF YOUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSR SELFESTEME. IM TO GRIEFSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS WSADR HLF A DNK YO THINK ????? NO !!!!!!!!!!!!!WELLL YES N YOU DID BUT NOT BELIVSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS IT WHEN THE PERSON DOES DIE OF THE HOLIDAY GHASTLY WHOLE DISPICABLE FRIGHTENEINGLYYY EVIL HSTRICLY AFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFAIR SO GIT gone th qintesnrtttertrterrrtey NOT SO A NOT SO A NOT SO A NOT SO A NOT SO A NOT SO A T SO Joy or when after the party OYUUUUUUUUUUS affffffffffffffair and thn to the beAch we go to seeeee santa cls and wY to ttK fun picturssss of illen . and you lag a little to the punch line you knw not to laugh but yoou rmmbred the oothr day you did hikl a little when u we were told sOmthn yo can no more remmbr as if it was so fnnnnnnnnny you already cannot rcall it yet it was humrus so now u Cant to rEpORt the y OF it THIS CONVO was bca its a notthr Way to talk to get the idea accross to get people to hear all yu get to say , so lets do thnk the GOOD Lord i nevr ws edgjjjiiiiiimacaaaaaaaaaaattttted AND BCSE OUR GOD HE does disdan the edjjjjjjjjjjamaaaaacattrttteddddded ME WAS BY MY FODDER MY MUDDRS HSBND TLD ME I WAS SO educattttttttttttttttttt THT I KNEW 5 = two plus two = me SO GLAD I IS DUMB DOWN plus u tas dumb but u get the poinit of why not tooooo drink and go as usual to holidassssssssssssss wet or dry after workkkkkssssss partiiiiiiieesssssss . GOODBYE CHRISTMAS FOREVER AND ALWAYS AND NEVER A NEW YEAR PARTY EVER AGAIN AGAIN AND 4EVER AND 4VR SO TO U YOU WINTER WEREREREREERERERERE ISSSSSSSSS SO FORSAKENENENENENENENENEN OF THE FATHER DARE I SUGEST SCH A RTING ND TH ASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSKKKKKKKKKKK THE FATHER AS THE sweet KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIND TO GET YOU INNNN TO HIS CASTLE ONLY ONE CASTLE SO NOT TO BE THOUGHT OF SOME KIND OF GRN CASTLE OR WOSRESER YET THE HIDEOUSSSSSS ONE YALL KNOWS BOUT TOOOO AND TOOO SOM KIND SOCCER QUINTESENTALY SPORTS EVENT OF A KIND TOO A IFFFFFFFFFFFFFYYYYYYYYY EVENTTTTTTTTTTT SCH AS ISCE SKATING WET OR ROLLING DRY OR ANY OTRRERTHNG SINCE YOU ALL NEED TO KNW THT TO GOD THR IS A NO TO BE HAVING FUNND THEN TO YU WNT TO B LVD ANDAS IIII AM MMMMMMM. WELL NOT SO SAYS OUR gd no GOD and thn wht u wll be left out in th cold , think about it !!!! AWE SAD AS IT IS OUR god is nt joking caser he is not going to kid us on th day and no joke that day nopeeeeeeeee. not my falt no GOD he does insist I TELL THE THING TO YOU N ALLU8 IN SIZE 24 TO B SO FAT IS NOT A WAY U WILL WANT TO BE SINCE YOU R SO LRG U WILL NOT FIT IN SEAT ON AROPLANE SO YOU R TLD AND YET EVERYONE FEEDS YU SO U WLL NT GET THN SO U WILL NT THEN THINK TO GET A WAY TO GO AWAY SO THN U CANNNOT SIT NXT TO ANOTHER PERON . wELL god SAYS THN QUIT FEEDN FOLKS WHN U KNW THEY R EATN TO MUCHNN OF A goodNNN THNGGGGGG so then do not keep peeps trapped n badnnnnn habbbbitttts by buyyyying stuffffffff forrrrrr follkks forrrrrrrr X MUS AND DO BE SURE TO MISS THE IMOPORTTTTANT EVENT ON THE DAY
IFN YU CANT NOT UNDRSTND THS YU R AS USUAL A BLND MAN OR WMAN SO THN WHT ELSE IS KN NEW TO YOU THT YU WOULD NOT ALREADY NY MINUTE KNOW .
AMEN
PEACE AND BE STILL