I have a friend from my P&P group who has shared with us some reflections of her sons, adopted from Nicuragua. When faced with the possibility of putting together some of the famous Shoeboxes, these boys did not react like she thought they would. She thought they’d be excited at the possibility of giving back in this way, of giving what they themselves had received.
Instead, the boys told her, “These boxes aren’t Christmas. They don’t come on Christmas, and they’re filled with things we might not even want or need. They’re not personal. They’re nice…but they’re not Christmas.”
That sentiment really struck me. Because I too have given a lot of thought to what Christmas isn’t.
Christmas isn’t magical elves.
Christmas can’t be “saved,” because Christmas can’t not happen.
Christmas isn’t gifts.
Christmas isn’t trappings or wrappings.
Christmas isn’t just about family.
Christmas isn’t about us giving to each other.
Christmas is so much more. Christmas is personal. Christmas is the gift. Christmas is nothing we can do, because Christmas is something done for us.
Christmas is miracle, not magic. The joy of heaven come to earth.
Christmas is participating in the original miracle, remembering it and making ourselves part of that history, making it part of us.
Christmas is opening our hearts to the God who became man for us.
Christmas is spreading that news, that joy, singing that song throughout the world.
Christmas is about being part of the family of God, being loved so much by Him that He made us heirs.
Christmas is about what He did for us.
Should we celebrate? Of course! Why would we not celebrate the greatest miracle of all time? Should we give gifts? Generosity is always a good thing, and showing people they’re loved is good too. But gifts can quickly overshadow the true Giver. They can distract us. We can get puffed up over our giving and materialistic with our receiving.
That’s why it’s important, in this season of hustle and bustle, to remember. To prepare our hearts for His coming. To focus FIRST on the divine, and then on the earthly.
Remember what Christmas is…and remember what it isn’t. That’s the real way to “save” Christmas each year.
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.