The Artificiality of Christmas

With the Christmas tree up in my house and hot chocolate in my mug, I would say that the Christmas season is in full swing. And, truly, I love this time of year –the carols, the presentations, the snow, the decoration, and, most importantly, the opportunity to celebrate my Savior's birth. The whole atmosphere is exhilarating.

But despite all of these things, there is a portion of the Christmas season that bothers me. There is an element of artificiality that pervades this time of year like no other. Every Christmas, millions of people around the world (particularly in America) put up artificial trees, teach their children about a fake gift-giver, and put on a fraudulent show of charity to match the Christmas season. Now, I have nothing against artificial trees, nor do I think that there is anything wrong with Santa Claus.

However, the latter of these problems causes me some trouble. In my experience, too many people fake a sense of joy and kindness just for the sake of the season. For some, this manifests itself in toothy smiles and a seasonal hospitality that covers up an otherwise discontented and angry soul. For others, their charity is obvious by the large sums of money and material goods they give the Salvation Army and Good Will, while throughout the rest of the year they refuse to give anything more than will get them a tax cut. This is so like human nature, to use one particular season to ease the conscience for the entire year. It breaks my heart.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that these people give as they do. There are poor and needy people who need it all and more. If these people didn't fake what they did, then I can't think to imagine the amount of people each year that would be left out in the cold (some more literally than others). No, I do not want any of these people to give any less. Count me as the last to discourage anyone from giving, whatever the motive. What I want to see is not less giving, but more giving from the heart. I earnestly desire that people would give from their abundance and serve the poor from a heart made new and released from sin –a heart that is so in love with its Creator that it gives in and out of season, with or without pressure, under any circumstance.

And most importantly, I want these people to put away their facades, to realize their true sinful nature, and to see the blazing truth of Christmas –that God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to earth so that He might live and die and rise again to save us all from our artificiality and sin, and to make us real. This is my hope this Christmas.