Christmas Fantasy

Christmas in the USA often poses a challenge to Christian parents; “What to with all the Christmas secularism?”  In the midst of one of the two most revered and recognized Christian holy days there is an ongoing attempt to take away from Christians what they hold precious and dear.  But before you go off the deep end and try to exclude everything that is “non-religious,” let’s explore a few things.

First, does the fact that something is non-religious make it “bad?”  If this were the case, there would be an awful lot in life that Christians would not be able to enjoy or participate in.  For instance, there isn’t anything religious about riding a bike, flying in a hot air balloon, making a snow man, or throwing someone a surprise birthday party, but all of these things can be great fun.  So let’s set aside the “non-religious activity = bad” concept.  It just doesn’t hold true.

Second, let’s consider God’s creation.  Believe it or not, God created fun, fantasy and dreams.  In fact, if it were not for these God given human abilities you would not be reading this blog on your computer, would you?  Like in most areas of human abilities, it’s not that we have these abilities, it’s what we do with them that makes something God honoring or not.

Now, let’s pull it all together in the context of our Christmas celebration and experience.  There is nothing inherently wrong or bad with Santa Claus, Christmas parties, presents, Christmas cookies and the like, it is what you do with these things and fantasies that can make them God honoring or not.  So, enjoy the season as God leads and using all of the abilities that God has given you and your children to enjoy this life, which may include Santa, cookies, parties and presents, but do so in a way that God is honored and the reason for the season is very evident in your and your children’s experience.

A quick example from our family experience; before a present is opened we always read the narrative of the birth of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke and follow it up with a short prayer of gratitude.  It’s just enough to get the message across while still maintaining the fun of it all.

Now, put on your fantasy and dream caps and look for ways to use your God given abilities and…

Merry Christmas!