365

I always get a little sad each year when we take down the Christmas tree and pack up the ornaments and decorations. Christmas is my favorite time of the year and saying goodbye to the Holiday season is bittersweet. It’s nice to reclaim my living room and to see an end to the chaos of Christmas, but it’s usually with a bit of melancholy that we return the seasonal trimmings to the attic.

Here’s the cool thing, though…as Christians, Christmas is really not a once a year thing. It’s not something that we spend a month celebrating and then put away for another year. Even though the world may have turned it into something else, the whole point of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Well, isn’t that something worth celebrating every day?

Christmas gifts are given to represent the gifts given to Jesus by the “wise men” and as a reminder that Christ is God’s gift to our dying world. But, shouldn’t we exchange gifts of our love and time all year long as a reflection of His love?

Then there are all of those festive Christmas carols, anthems rejoicing the coming of the newborn King. When you think about it, though, aren’t Christmas carols another version of praise and worship songs, not unlike those we sing along with at church and on the radio?

In December we appoint our homes with decorations, nativity scenes, lights and trees. But, our homes should be dedicated to the Lord and a beacon of his light throughout the year, shouldn’t they?

When the angel announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, he didn’t say. “I bring you good news of great joy that will be celebrated once a year on December 25.” No, the good news of his birth, life, death and resurrection should give us great joy all of the time.

These verses from Ephesians paint a pretty accurate picture of what celebrating Christmas every day looks like, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Eph 4:2-3).

If we will make an effort to live out these verses, treating each other with loving-kindness, we will carry the so-called “Spirit of the Season” with us all year long.