a good read this season

[Azazello1313]

 

I'm willing to suspend my cultural cynicism for a moment and speculate that at the root of American consumer Christmas is a deep-seated desire for meaning. I may be way off on this, but I suspect the decorations, the music, the saturated social calendars, the capitalistic flurry, and the caloric overload are attempts at finding something true, something significant. Hopes for discovering community and transcendence.

 

...

 

The problem, I think, is that our culture doesn't know how to truly celebrate. Overconsumption and overstimulation are the only ways we know how to mark a special occasion. Even though most of us implicitly know it doesn't work and that we're going to wake up with a hangover, it's all we know how to do. When there is a significant event, we commemorate it by scurrying around, spending absurd amounts of money, gathering a crowd, and turning up the volume. If we're not weighed down by anxiety and insomnia, then it must not be a very important occasion. Our holiday "celebrations" therefore seem destined to only get bigger and bigger, because we have built up such a tolerance.

 

Many of us in the church live in the tension of this religious and cultural ambivalence. Our Christmas Eves are often a confusing recipe of ingredients like these: the onslaught of relatives, massive food preparation, stressful and boisterous dinners, hurrying everyone into the car, attending a hot, packed Christmas Eve worship service in which we light candles, and sing lyrics like:

 

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin Mother and Child

Holy Infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

 

Then we rush home, hustle the kids into bed so we can finish wrapping gifts and stuffing stockings, because they'll be up in five hours. Sleep in heavenly peace indeed.

[Perchoutofwater]

I actually have found that I like the days leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas more enjoyable and meaningful than the holidays themselves. Like we did here at the huddle, prior to Thanksgiving during the month of November each night at dinner (with a few exceptions when we aren't able to eat as a family) we go around and each say something we are thankful for. During the month of December prior to Christmas we will either sing a song, tell a story or read from the scriptures together as a family. In both instances it is just about spending more time with your family and actually talking about something meaningful instead of just asking the kids what they did at school that day and only halfway paying attention to their response during the commercials between our favorite TV programs. It helps us to remember what is important. Unfortunately the holidays or the day before the two holidays are all to often just like the writer above mentioned.

[driveby]

That's funny.

 

When we go home for Christmas we tradionally do exactly those things with my wife's family. This year she has specifically asked to instead spend Christmas Eve and Day at my mothers house precisely to avoid the usual Christmas hustle and bustle.

 

Way fine with me.

[Jimmy Neutron]

Good stuff.

 

The holidays is an interesting time for Christians - something I thinik many struggle with. I laughed as I watched my wife struggle with the acceptibility of putting a nativity scene on one side of the mantle and a father Christmas/Santa on the other.

 

We try to keep things right by focusing on doing things for others. We don't ask the kids what they want for Christmas, but what they want to give to family members and friends.

 

I will miss taking the kids to/going to see this nativity scene in SLC - awlays a very special night for our family.