Another Christ-less Christmas for You?
The more that Christ has increased in the life of our family, the less Christmas means to us. Does that sound peculiar or oxymoronic? We have no Christmas tree in our apartment. We have no decorations. I have not seen one wrapped Christmas gift, except on the decorated stage at our local church. We have a slew of birthdays before Christmas, so that helps. This year, I literally only bought one gift before Christmas Day. It will not even be gifted, until the second week in January.
To avoid the prejudice of some Scrooge or Grinch-like spirit being ascribed to me, we will “do” Christmas in January. Boom! Christmas Eve is here, and apart from some traffic issues in front of our apartment complex (We live in front of a Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, and Kohl’s), Christmas has caused no trouble this year. Somewhere out there is an open Chinese restaurant, to save Christmas Day of any stress at all. I will be grocery shopping at Safeway, at 8am Christmas morning because no one will be there.
You may be wondering how our family has so efficiently done away with Christmas? Amazingly, we never planned this modus operandi. Christmas has become progressively less and less, by collective preference. Nobody is stressed and nobody complains, as if they were missing something.
There is no religious or anti-religious motivation, for what has happened in our family. Rather, there were work conflicts for many. My wife works in the grocery industry. One daughter is a nurse. Another works for a hotel. Yet another works for a restaurant. You might imagine how difficult it is for us to be together, with everyone laboring in these service jobs, during the bustle of this season. Getting time off, during the second week of January is never a problem for any of us.
Thus, the only priority for us on Christmas Eve or Day is being in church, to remember our Savior’s incarnation (Jn 1:14). Christmas has become Christ-centered for our family. It happened by circumstances. Circumstances are actually God’s providence, and God’s providence is gracious toward His beloved people. We have been blessed by the Lord, and we give thanks.
Christmas is many different things to many different people. For many, it is not merely a day, but it occupies an entire month. The bills of December take much of the year to be paid in full. The spirit of burden is accompanied by the spirit of dissatisfaction. Christmas was occupied and expensive. The void returns after every annual cycle of this holiday.
Lost in the revelry, the parties, the shopping, and the overeating is Christ Jesus. It is as if the devil throws Jesus a big party every year and nobody cares that Jesus is not there. It is another Christ-less Christmas for many. For the Christian, there is definitely a stressful tension. Godless pagans have expectations for Christmas. I was informed that the family of one of our son’s friends is planning to get us a gift for Christmas. I told our son to dissuade them because of the reciprocal stigma, of no matching gift from us.
Why do unbelievers do Christmas? It is because the devil’s version of Jesus’ birthday is slavery. People are enslaved to Christmas. They think they are enjoying all the work required of them. Like all sins, the next round increases the requirement of the slave. They have to out-do the mark set last year, and of course, out-do their neighbors. If the standard is not met, they are faced with guilt.
There is no rest for the wicked at Christmas. The original idea of a holy day was Sabbath rest. It was to be a day set apart from other days of work. Not even Sunday provides that for most people. In debt, depressed, and deceived, the overworked Christmas idolater inquires who he or she should blame? They blame Jesus because, “He is the reason for the season.” A further inquiry is made to those who fought ferociously to keep Christ in this Christmas non-sense. In this, most Christians are no help to their Pagan neighbors at Christmas.
A few notes to self maybe in order. First, you have to do what God wants you and your family to do. Second, I would argue it is almost impossible to design and implement your retreat from Christmas. It would be far better for you to pray for God’s deliverance from Christmas. Third, in your prayer, ask God to help you to avoid a Christ-less Christmas. Fourth, ask Him to what degree a Christmas-less Christmas may be in order, for you and your family.
Finally, my commentary on Christmas is not Gospel. I would never counsel anyone on “proper Christmas.” Our current family Christmas-less Christmas has happened to us. We make no apologies for a Christ-centered Christmas because although it was a desire for many years, it manifested on its own.
The simplicity and reduction in stress is welcome. We still sing Christmas songs in the car and enjoy the festive lights as we drive at night. We will gather as a family, and there will be a small gift exchange in January. The after-Christmas sales will certainly help our finances. As for Christmas Eve and Day, just give us Jesus and a Christ-centered remembrance of God’s gift to us.
David Norczyk
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
December 24, 2020
