Reclaiming Christmas as a Holy Day, Not Just a Holiday

No one really knows the exact date of Jesus' birth. It may not have been in December at all. Writings from the early church indicate that the nativity was celebrated on different dates in different places, and some of the patriarch's of the Church were opposed to celebrating his birth at all. But, for more than 1500 years, most Christian churches have traditionally celebrated his birth in December, and as early as 354 AD, the feast of Christmas was placed as December 25th on the calendar.

The name "Christmas" itself is derived from "Christ's Mass", the Latin for which was first used around the year 1063 AD. Ironically, most churches do not offer worship services on December 25th at all, instead celebrating the night before, on Christmas Eve. (The exception to that might be if Christmas falls on a Sunday, but not even that is a guarantee in recent years!)

Christmas is a holy day.

So, why is it that this holy day seems to have been shanghaied by the holiday?

Every year, the holiday gets more and more secular in nature. People who have no church connections or religious beliefs at all celebrate the holiday. True, some of our cherished Christmas traditions such as gift-giving, decorating with greenery and the use of a Yule log all have their beginnings in celebrations that honored various sun gods, but the "guest of honor" is NOT a "sun god", and Jesus is largely missing in many celebrations. One might say that everyone else comes "home for the holidays" except the One for whom the season is named.

Almost as great a concern for me, however, is that every year, the holiday season seems to get longer and longer, so that, by the time people arrive at the holy day, the focus seems to be on anything but the birth of Christ.

This year, it seems to be more extreme than I remember it ever being before.I am writing this blog on Friday, November 13th. I have just arrived home from Christmas shopping in the "big city". I do this early, not because I like it, but out of necessity. The weeks before Christmas are often so full of church obligations that I don't even get a day off! I am not-- let me repeat-- I am NOT in "the holiday spirit", and won't be until, at the very least, the day after Thanksgiving.

In fact, the only holiday I am concerned with right now IS Thanksgiving. It can't come soon enough! Since we will be spending four nights at our family cabin, I am very much in THAT holiday's spirit.

As I drove home today, I noticed a billboard on the side of the road in one of the quaint little suburban towns. It was an advertisement for a "Christmas Holiday Concert", and I thought, "Oh, I wonder when that is going to be." As I drove closer, I noticed the date. The Christmas Concert will be on November 21st!

I shook my head in disbelief and reached to push the button, turning on my radio. My disbelief turned to shock when the song, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" blasted through the speakers of my car. I quickly pushed the button again, and, in the silence, wondered how it got to this point-- that the season of Christmas has become as long as Lent! And Advent-- that blessed anticipation of the joy to come-- is all-but-forgotten in the merrymaking.

Christmas may be a holy day, but the holiday season has become anything but. "O Come, o come, Emmanuel!" Our hope lies in You.