i'm dreaming of a "Christ" Christmas

how many "shopping days" are left till Christmas? my response? who cares! every year i rant and rave about the commercialism of Christmas, and this year, i have really been tested on my sincerity. i heard it said once that a person often speaks loudest against the thing that they do not want people to know about themselves. while that may be true in many instances, it made me stop and look at myself. i realized that while watching an old classic at my job at blockbuster. what classic, you ask? why "a charlie brown Christmas", of course! in it, charlie is fed up with the commercial "racket" that Christmas has become. and in exasperation, he throws up his hands and asks if anyone can tell him the true meaning of Christmas. there sits linus, trust blanket in hand, and tells charlie that he knows the true meaning of Christmas and proceeds to quote from Luke 2 the very familiar passage of the shepherds and the birth of the Christ-child.

now, it must be noted that it did not hit me until later, that i am a hypocrite. this year has been a particularly tough Christmas financially for my familiy. we have struggled to buy presents for the boys, and have opted out of buying gifts for each other so that we can provide Christmas for them. well, one particular day i was throwing a pity party for myself, complete with music, over our financial situation and it not seeming like Christmas because we weren't hanging out at the malls (too much temptation to spend money we don't have) and being so busy we didn't have time to put the tree up as a family, i went to work begrudgingly in a meager attempt to keep our family afloat financially. while there, the aforementioned movie was on, and i found myself halfway paying attention to it while attending to the duties of my job. the movie went off, was replaced by another, which carried us to quitting time. this morning, i awoke and had to, rather got to spend the day with my sick 4 year old. we had a great time, putting up the tree, and watching a movie and building a train set. that's when it hit me. i had fallen victim to advertising brainwash! while it may have been on the subconscious level, it was still there, none the less. i was thinking Christmas was about buying, decorating, and carols. while these are not bad things in and of themselves, they become idols when they take our affections off of our Saviour! my Christmas idol was set up in my mind, and left me empty. i then turned back to Christ and asked for forgiveness and vowed in my mind to make this year's Christmas the best one yet, even if i don't receive a single gift!

what is your idol this Christmas? what are you looking for to make this a perfect Christmas? are you looking for snow? i just spent the weekend in rochester, ny with the marines of alpha company, and there was snow. it was nice, and i found myself dreaming of a white Christmas. are you banking on getting or receiving that perfect gift? is it dreams of the american nostalgic Christmas complete with parties, dinners, and caroling filling your mind? is it the decorating and enjoyment of the lights filling the neighborhood lawns? or maybe it is something a little more religious. is it the Christmas cantada at your church? or the Christmas eve mass or service? is it december 25th, the day itself? what happens when it is over? i always used to love the "spirit" in the air in the weeks leading up to Christmas morning, and then it was over, and i was left feeling empty and disappointed in the days following. the newness of "stuff" wore off and it became something else to pick up while cleaning my room.

this year, my prayer for myself and my family is that in our time of want, maybe we can focus a little more on the true meaning of Christmas: Emmanuel. God with us. Christ laying His glory aside to become a human being to live and die for us, so that we might have the ultimate gift of all: eternal life with Him in Heaven!