A Different Kind of Christmas
I love Christmastime. I love being able to bundle up and sit in front of a fire at Rob's parents' house. I love the Christmas music and Christmas decorations. I love it so much that I officially started Christmastime on Thanksgiving night. I figured that once the meal is over, Christmastime is fair game. I don't watch much TV at all, maybe one hour a week on average. But, during Christmastime, TV sounds fun because they have all the Christmasy themes. I even crave watching a soap opera because I know it would have the most cheesy and overly dramatic Christmas stuff. I like it.
But, every Christmas I think to myself, "This Christmas I want to really understand what it's all about." Christmas is a celebration of Jesus breaking into earth as a baby beginning his journey toward the cross. That is much more worthy of celebration than the world's idea of Christmas which is family, harmony, cheer, red and green, and fun old movies.
I decided a couple of years ago that in order to embrace the silliness of Christmastime, I'll just change the name. Let's call it Fuzzimas instead of Christmas. During this time we'll enjoy the fuzzy feelings that come from chestnuts and fires. It should be a fun, secular holiday that can remind us of family, giving, and good memories. We can enjoy Fuzzimastime with the same freedom that we enjoy the 4th of July (I guess that holiday does have significance though).
Then the whole entire year we'll dedicate to celebrating Jesus coming as a baby and what he accomplished. Let's make the navity scenes on our shelves normal, something to remember more than just once a year. Pastors can preach on Luke 2 more than just at Fuzzimastime. We'll still let the Santa Claus' and trees have their chance, but they only get Fuzzimastime once a year.
Actually, I don't know if I agree with myself. With Christmas/Fuzzimas being such a celebrated time for all people, it could be a great witnessing tool. In conversations about Christmas, we could tell people why it's special to us. Yeah, I definitely don't agree with myself. Let's keep Christmas focused on Christ. I still like Christmas decorations, but everything is better if it's giving glory to Jesus.
I'm so random right now.
posted by Leah at 10:00 AM
3 Comments:
You are a good writer...and made me think. I usually don't like decorating for Christmas because I feel as though it only emphasizes the "other" part of Christmas-- the "Fuzzimas" part (very aptly named). Maybe it does, I still don't know-- but I did go out and buy a tree after reading your post.
here is a link that might change your mind about some of what we consider to be secular images of Christmas. I like to read this every year to remind me that the symblos that we know as Christmas (or Fuzzimas) might have started with higher meamings. I don't know if this story is true or not but I like it.
http://www.promiseofgod.com/teach/
Hear is the link that I like a little better than the one I just posted. It is the same basic story, but I like this one:
http://www.neloo.com/Christmas/Christmas1.html
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