I sit and wonder what people really think this season is about. I am not your average person. I don't really get upset when people say "Happy Holidays". To me I see that there are lots of holidays at this time. But...I do get frustrated with Christians at this time. I do get frustrated with the world at this time. No matter what the Holiday is that you celebrate the most in your house...I guarantee that you are not focused on that holidays actual meaning. Since I am a follower of Christ, I will use the major Christian holidays for this time.
Thanksgiving
Ok so it may not be a Christian holiday...but I am going to use it. What is Thanksgiving all about? What do you do for Thanksgiving. Normally we get together with family and eat tons of food. How many people talked around the table about what they were thankful for this year? My family didn't...and I didn't even think about it until after I left my grandma's house. We normally do a thankfulness tree without girls...but I didn't even think about it this year. I had gotten too BUSY!
Now I think it is pretty well known with most of my friends that I hate black Friday. Maybe that didn't make it clear I HATE it! It's not just black Friday anymore it's become black Thanksgiving now. Instead of being thankful for what we have got we become greedy and want more. The week before people are looking in the ads and seeing what they want to get. How early they need to get up and all Thanksgiving long some people are consumed with what great things they are hoping to get the next day. We've forgotten to be thankful. Now please don't get me wrong you do get great deals on black Friday...I just wish it didn't take away so much from Thanksgiving.
Christmas
This is one holiday I think the Church has really fallen short. My children know lots of Christmas songs. We teach them lots of songs at home...but not all families share the same beliefs that we do so the majority of the songs they learn are from school. I don't think churches take enough time to really teach the children of the church what the true meaning of Christmas is. We have done a lot with our kids at home making sure they know what Christmas is about. Some of what we do has really ruffled the feathers of some. We don't teach about Santa. We don't mind if the kids pretend about Santa...but when the time comes and they ask us if Santa is real...we tell them the truth. Santa does not bring gifts to our home. Christmas for us is centered around the true meaning of Christmas. Now what is the true meaning of Christmas? Well I was shocked one day when The Inquisitor came home from school. "Mom do you know what the true meaning of Christmas is?" So I answered her with a question asking her what she thought it was. Her answer shocked me. "The true meaning of Christmas is that is doesn't matter what color you are!" WHAT?!?!? Is that really what this holiday has become? It's become anything that doesn't have to do with the birth of Jesus. I did ask her if she thought that was really the true meaning of Christmas. She said no, but still didn't want to make her music teacher wrong. The Inquisitor has been singing the songs for her program at school. The main one is "Christmas is a Rainbow." It's just makes my heart so sad. Christmas is so much more than that! The true meaning of Christmas is the coming of our Saviour! That God sent his one and only son to the Earth to die for us. I know lots of people don't understand that because they aren't followers of Christ...but how are we the Church helping them? I don't mean the Church as just the building or the leaders in that building. WE are the Church...the people are the Church. What are we doing? Are we teaching our children the true meaning of Christmas? Are we teaching them songs to help them understand what this is all about or are we letting the schools(who really have no choice) teach them songs that teach Christmas is a rainbow? This is such a frustrating time for me. I so badly want to scream at the top of my lungs...but people are too BUSY to even notice. So for the Church out there...slow down. Take some time to read about Christ coming. Take some time to listen to old Christmas songs. They've got great meaning! Take some time out to really share the true meaning of Christmas. As my picture shows...even the real Santa Claus knew what Christmas was about.
Great job Sarah, expressing what a lot of us Christ following moms have a hard time with. Have you heard the song "Where is the line to see Jesus?" Great song about a family teaching their children about the REAL meaning of Christmas and when they go shopping the boy asks "where is the line to see Jesus?" When tuns of kids are lined up to ask Santa for gifts. Makes you really think. I think it's also very important at this time (this is what I do with my kids)to DONATE. Go through and give away toys you don't play with and books that you don't read anymore. Because the last thing I want from my kids is to focus solely on what they want for Christmas and to forget how much they have and are blessed with. It seems like every year Christmas gets busier and busier and it takes away from taking the time to donate, give to others, and focus and pray with your family about Christ's birth and how huge of a deal it was for Him to come and give His life for our sins. On Christmas morning we read the story of Christ's birth in the bible before opening gifts, this is a "tradition" that we used to do when I was younger. I remember being so eager to get my presents, but my parents always had us sit down in the early morning all together and listen from the bible's words of the true meaning of Christmas. Next year we definitely need to do the story of Christ's birth at our church, that is a big memory of mine as a child to the real meaning of Christmas. The kids need that when they get bombarded with so much at schools, and from media, and also from ever day life. The Church needs to keep up the tradition for the children as well as adults teaching them, b/c they are the next to teach their kids and with all that goes against us in today's secular world, we'll loose that for the next generation.
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