The Reason for the Season

I am working on some new material, but in the meantime I thought I would re-post last year’s Christmas post. Hope you’re all having a happy – and sane! – holiday season!
- Charity

This was the first Christmas that I was really able to enjoy a secular Christmas, since before I was a Christian.  Even though I left Christianity in October of last year, I was still dealing with a lot of the aftermath of that decision by the time Christmas came around.  Last year I survived Christmas, if barely.

This year was different.  I have been happily without god for over a year.  Everyone (mostly) knows about it.  And I had no qualms about keeping Christ out of my Christmas.

And, it was fantastic!

It was just like the Christmases I remember as a kid, back when the reason for the season was giving and spending time with family.  My mom always loved Christmas and it was never a religious holiday.  It was always a time to give to others, including strangers in need.

I missed out on that while I was a Christian.  Sure, I still gave to strangers in need, but it was always about bringing glory to God, not just because it felt good to do.  Christmas seemed more like an obligation.  It’s the church’s biggest ministry opportunity of the year, you know!  (As we were reminded every year.)

How fun!  Let’s turn Christmas into a chore!

My first Christmas as a Christian, I bought everyone Bibles and/or Christian books, even my non-Christian family.  I kid you not.  Yeah, I was a real barrel of fun in those days.

Christmas was usually spent trying to minimize the materialism and gift-giving and keep the focus on Jesus.  As you can imagine, my love for the holiday faded away over the years.

This year, however, I actually enjoyed Christmas.  My husband, three sons, and I got up at 6AM and opened presents and then ate cinnamon rolls (which I made the night before and baked that morning).  My mother and sister and their significant others came over a few hours later and we hung out and opened presents and ate cinnamon rolls, applesauce cake, blueberry muffins, and fruit salad.  Then, we just sat around and spent time together all day, while grazing on the appetizers I set out and watching “Micky’s Christmas Carol” and “The Christmas Toy”.  We ate dinner in mid-afternoon and then everyone took desserts home because they were stuffed.  (I made a lot of food.)

It was a fantastic way to spend the day!

There was no guilt, no praying, no trying to find a parking space at the Christmas Eve service, no trying to share Jesus with my non-Christian relatives – just food, family, and fun, my favorite things!

I saw many comments on facebook and elsewhere about the “reason for the season.”  I have found the reason; it’s just not the one they were talking about.