Christmas.
Seems like we measure a good part of our year by the celebration of Christ\’s birth.
I know. For many people Christmas is very much a secular holiday. A time for family and friends. A time for decorating and hanging pretty lights. A time for the wonder of Santa Claus and flying reindeer. And a time for gift-giving.
And regardless of whether or not Target has the cajones to allow the nice Salvation Army people to ring a bell out front of their store or not (and they don\’t), Christmas by any other name is still Christmas.
As I reflect on Christmas, a number of thoughts come to mind… most of them pleasant.
I present you with my list of top ten favorite things about Christmas.
#10 – The Food
I know this is going to come as a shock to you, but I really like to eat. Too much, in fact. And if you ever want to know what it feels like to go against the grain, just try losing weight around the holidays. It\’s not really possible because there are too many opportunities to gorge yourself with goodies! I appreciate my friends and associates that send me treats and I\’m glad that I have a staff that will gladly help me dispose of them!
#9 – The Christmas tree
Growing up as a cultural Jew, I didn\’t have much religious training. Oh, I know enough, but faith wasn\’t something that was deeply ingrained in my family of origin. I guess that\’s why we had the occasional Christmas tree. And what child doesn\’t enjoy a tree with brightly decorated lights and the promise of presents underneath on Christmas morning? I still enjoy the tree and the warm glow of the lights, especially when enjoyed with my family.
#8 – Snow
Growing up in the midwest, snow in December was not an uncommon sight. Now that I am in Colorado, it\’s also not uncommon. For the twenty years that I lived in Texas and Oklahoma, it was rare to have a white Christmas. I don\’t mind a lot of snow, as long as the roads aren\’t bad. This year on our visit to Oklahoma, we got hit with a terrible blizzard. Still, if I have to choose between snow and no snow on Christmas, I\’ll take the white stuff.
#7 – Christmas movies
I grew up watching the Rankin/Bass cartoon, now known as classics amongst my generation. Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Frosty the Snowman and others were annual favorites. But as an adult I\’ve grown more fond of the classic films. Hollywood has churned out crappy Christmas movie after crappy Christmas movie for the last decade or so. Films such as Christmas with the Kranks, Deck the Halls, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and Four Christmases are destined to be forgotten.
With that said, I present you with a list within a list. Here are my favorite Christmas movies ranked in order of preference.
- It\’s a Wonderful Life – Frank Capra knew exactly what he was doing in this Jimmy Stewart classic. Get us attached to an incredibly likable guy who puts others before himself and show us what the world would be like without him. The ending is a definite play at your heartstrings, but I say let them play and experience the joy of embracing life.
- White Christmas – Tap dancing and vaudeville may have gone out of style decades ago, but watching Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye do their thing should stir a newfound appreciation in any generation. The story of two singing and dancing veterans putting together a one-of-a-kind Christmas present for a four-star general who is past his prime contains witty dialogue and unforgetable musical numbers.
- A Christmas Story – Peter Billingsley rocketed to stardom as a child with his obsession over a Red Ryder BB-Gun. Phrases such as \”You\’ll put your eye out, kid!\” have become national inside jokes. The comical portrayal of experiencing Christmas in the midwest in the forties has plenty of laughs and a whole lot of heart. If you didn\’t appreciate this one as a child, get over it and put it in again when you are an adult. It\’s irresistible.
- National Lampoon\’s Christmas Vacation – The earlier films with the Griswalds may have been inappropriate for the family, but this holiday film only contains a couple objectionable scenes that you can skip past if little ones are in the room. Chevy Chase plays the only character he was ever meant to play with the perfect mix of crazy and lovable. But it\’s Randy Quaid who steals the show with some of the funniest lines ever. \”If that cat had nine lives it sure used \’em all.\”
- Scrooge – It\’s hard to believe Albert Finney was just 34-years old when he portrayed the miser from Dicken\’s Christmas Carol. And he did it with perfection. Take the classic story and mix in some refreshing musical numbers with a showstopper (Thank You Very Much) and you\’ve got a grade-A Hollywood classic.
Sure, there are others worth mentioning. Miracle on 34th Street (both versions), The Santa Clause (but only the first, not the two lame sequels) and Elf (one of two types of characters played by Will Ferrell), but there just aren\’t many others that I see as classics.
#6 – Saying \”Merry Christmas\” to people
Happy Holidays. Pffft. How lame.
Being Jewish, I\’ve nothing against Hanukkah. The Festival of Lights is a real celebration of a genuine miracle. Admittedly, I know nothing about Kwanzaa, but I\’m sure it is significant to those who celebrate it.
But Christmas is Christmas. We all know why we decorate and have parties this time of year. We know why we buy lots of presents and tell stories of snowmen, reindeer and a fat guy who invades our homes via the chimney. So why the political correctness?
It\’s because of the very vocal minority who claim to be \”offended\” by Christmas. They have influenced political leaders and corporations to make changes in policy so as to keep the peace amongst those who don\’t believe as the majority do.
I won\’t wish anyone a Happy Holidays. If it\’s Hanukkah, I\’ll wish those people a Happy Hanukkah. If I meet someone who celebrates Kwanzaa, I\’ll give them a Festive Kwanzaa (or whatever it is they say).
But if it is Christmas, you are going to get a MERRY CHRISTMAS from me.
I will not minimize the holiday by calling it by another name. And even when they desperately try to dumb it down by making it more about the fictional Santa Claus character and less about the baby Jesus, I\’ll still say Merry Christmas and know that no human being on the face of the earth can ever steal away it\’s meaning with phrases, commercialism or political correctness. :-)
#5 – The company party – I\’ve got the best staff on earth. You\’ll never meet a more talented and dedicated group of people anywhere. Those who have had the opportunity to visit our offices in Colorado will attest to this. I love to do things for the team all year \’round, but I especially love the Christmas party. No, we don\’t break out the Jack Daniels and go nuts. But we do get together for a great meal, fun games, camaraderie and a lot of laughs. Last year it was casino night with a dirty santa gift exchange and catered food. This year was at Johhny Carinos with a fun gift exchange and a surprise auction. It was a great time!
#4 – Opportunities to bless others – Christmas is really about giving, not receiving. And it reminds us that compared to other nations around the world, even the poorest amongst us would be considered wealthy. But there is plenty of need right in our own neighborhoods. Without providing details, every year I attempt to see a need that is significant and find a way to meet that need. I challenge you to do likewise, not just at Christmas, but whenever the need makes itself known. Be a blessing to others and you will be blessed.
#3 – Giving gifts to my wife – I\’ve got everything I need and want. I don\’t need more stuff. I find it far more enjoyable to be creative and buy gifts that will bless others. For over two decades, I\’ve had the privilege of doing exactly that for my wife. We have a tradition that we do our gifts to each other the night BEFORE Christmas. And if we are traveling, it\’s the night before we leave town. Over the years I\’ve surprised her many times with just the right thing. I love her very much and love to see her smile. :-)
#2 – Giving gifts to my kids – There\’s nothing like Christmas with children. We recently watched videos of past Christmases when the kids were little and had a great time reminiscing. It\’s always been fun to get them the toys, games and other stuff that they\’ve wanted, mixed in with the one \”holy cow!\” moment which is saved for last. You know what I am talking about. It\’s when they think they have opened all their gifts and one more seems to surface at the last minute. And it\’s the mother of all gifts. Even though they are now teenagers, it\’s still fun to do this for them.
#1 – The real meaning of Christmas – Christmas isn\’t about movies. It\’s not about lights. It\’s not about fruitcakes or cookies. It\’s not about Santa Claus, snowmen or flying reindeer. It\’s not about brightly wrapped presents. And it\’s not even about family.
All those things are important. Traditions, family, food, festivities, etc are all essential parts of the human experience.
But Christmas is a celebration of a different sort. It\’s not about us. It\’s about God and His love for us. It\’s about commemorating the birth of the Savior, born into our world so that we could begin to comprehend the character of our Creator. Just like one would become a dog to truly communicate with the canine species, God became man so we could have even the smallest inkling of what He is truly like.
Sure, there are those who mock this belief. I don\’t care. I know what I was like before Christ and I know the direct impact He has had in my life. I know the intellectual process I had to go through before I could allow my heart to be changed. And I know I am no longer who I was as a result.
Christmas is the beginning of this change. Christmas signals hope for mankind, in the form of an innocent baby destined to change the world forever.
And whether Christ was born in December or in the summer months really doesn\’t matter. What matters is that we take time out to recognize His birth and the ultimate sacrifice that He would make for each of us.
Sounds ridiculous, doesn\’t it?
The wise men from distant countries recognized who He was two thousand years ago.
Wise men still seek Him, my friends.
May you find the true meaning of Christmas this year and every year.
Thank you for letting me be a part of your lives in even a small way. Be sure to leave your comments below and let me know what your favorite things are about Christmas.
Merry Christmas :-)