Christmas Politics
So Christmas is a time to celebrate Christ. That is what I love about it.
Sprinkled on top of this is another message that Christmas is a time to celebrate family. To remember what is really important in life. To appreciate the people closest to you. To recognize the unconditional love that's inevitably shared through blood.
I'm certain I'm not the only one who questions this second message. Who longs to experience the truth of it. Who prays that one day I'll share a Holiday season with family, where the only stress is last minute gifts, getting snowed in and my inevitable batch of burnt cookies.
For now, though, that isn't the case. For as long as I can remember, "Tis the season to be jolly," has instead been "Tis the season to be stressed, upset, angry, awkard, hurt, etc."
You see, as much as I try to focus on the real reason: Jesus...the Holidays tend to cause past family conflicts, confrontations and painful memories to re-surface. I'm not sure what it is about the timing of Christmas, but this always happens from the end of November till the New Year.
As of today the conflicts have not surfaced on one side of my family, but both. Good thing...wouldn't want to be unbalanced.
So what's so funny about the Holidays...the most wonderful time of the year...is that I end up spending them, year after year, with many people I can hardly stand. And even those who I find slightly more bearable, I'm really not that close to. And I do this, why? To appease others. To ensure the rest of my year is not quite as rocky as the last...hoping that a few hours on Christmas will rack up enough points to get me through Thanksgiving '08.
If Christmas was really about being around those who are most important to me, the day wouldn't look much different than every Sunday night at 5:30, every Monday and Thursday at 7pm, or every Saturday morning when I do laundry at my Grandma's and see my mom, grandparents and sister over coffee and football all afternoon.
If Christmas was really all about love, I wouldn't find myself waiting-not so patiently-for this two-month fog I've been living in to end. Praying desperately to find the reason for the season, my Jesus, somewhere out there admist the crap that humans try to turn this time of year into.
But Christmas is not quite as synonomous with love as I wish it were. At least it doesn't seem to be. It's a bit disconcerting that the most joy I've found during this Christmas season has been in a hot cup of coffee over a number of cheesy Holiday happy endings on Falalalala Lifetime. If my cable goes before the 25th, huh...well I'd rather not think about it.
Sprinkled on top of this is another message that Christmas is a time to celebrate family. To remember what is really important in life. To appreciate the people closest to you. To recognize the unconditional love that's inevitably shared through blood.
I'm certain I'm not the only one who questions this second message. Who longs to experience the truth of it. Who prays that one day I'll share a Holiday season with family, where the only stress is last minute gifts, getting snowed in and my inevitable batch of burnt cookies.
For now, though, that isn't the case. For as long as I can remember, "Tis the season to be jolly," has instead been "Tis the season to be stressed, upset, angry, awkard, hurt, etc."
You see, as much as I try to focus on the real reason: Jesus...the Holidays tend to cause past family conflicts, confrontations and painful memories to re-surface. I'm not sure what it is about the timing of Christmas, but this always happens from the end of November till the New Year.
As of today the conflicts have not surfaced on one side of my family, but both. Good thing...wouldn't want to be unbalanced.
So what's so funny about the Holidays...the most wonderful time of the year...is that I end up spending them, year after year, with many people I can hardly stand. And even those who I find slightly more bearable, I'm really not that close to. And I do this, why? To appease others. To ensure the rest of my year is not quite as rocky as the last...hoping that a few hours on Christmas will rack up enough points to get me through Thanksgiving '08.
If Christmas was really about being around those who are most important to me, the day wouldn't look much different than every Sunday night at 5:30, every Monday and Thursday at 7pm, or every Saturday morning when I do laundry at my Grandma's and see my mom, grandparents and sister over coffee and football all afternoon.
If Christmas was really all about love, I wouldn't find myself waiting-not so patiently-for this two-month fog I've been living in to end. Praying desperately to find the reason for the season, my Jesus, somewhere out there admist the crap that humans try to turn this time of year into.
But Christmas is not quite as synonomous with love as I wish it were. At least it doesn't seem to be. It's a bit disconcerting that the most joy I've found during this Christmas season has been in a hot cup of coffee over a number of cheesy Holiday happy endings on Falalalala Lifetime. If my cable goes before the 25th, huh...well I'd rather not think about it.
posted by the way I see it... at 8:07 PM
2 Comments:
http://media.whchurch.org/2007/2007-12-09_Boyd_A-Birthday-Prayer.mp3
i heard this message the other day...and have been in turmoil about christmas ever since. maybe check it out if you're bored...or blow it off. :) either way is cool.
Well, I for one am sick of always feeling conflicted about Christmas. Like, I want to say it's all about Christ, but I don't want to offend people who don't believe in that...so then I want to say it's all about family, but I don't want to offend the orphans...so now I've decided to just rename it Shopzanza! yes, Shopzanza! with an exclamation point on the end. This way we can all just shop and not worry about who we're supposed to be thinking about and the whole day will just be less conflicted. Happy belated Shopzanza!
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