"And We Were Happy To Have It"

You know those people who get offended every time anyone phrases something differently from the way they would personally do it, or flip out when someone's tradition doesn't meet the standard of what is "correct" in their own bubble?
I try not to be one of those people. Everyone is different, and what's right for me and my family may not be right for you and yours.
However, if you are one of those people, you might be offended by this post. I'll bet you won't stop reading it, though, because the easily offended types tend to seek out reasons to be offended.

As I said before, I try not to be easily offended by certain phrases. I don't even know if "offended" is the best word to describe how I feel about this, but it just...bothers me.
As is common for this time of year, I've been hearing a lot of radio callers seeking assistance for friends and family members who are having a rough time of it financially. That's a very nice thing to do, and it's awesome that the radio stations are willing to help out. What irritates me, though, is when they ask for help so that their friends' children can "have Christmas," or so that they can, "buy Christmas." I do not limit this to radio callers who are trying to be the hands and feet of Christ by helping their neighbors. I hear it from people I know when they are going to Target to "buy Christmas."
I'm not stupid. I know they mean Christmas presents. But, I feel like they need to actually say presents.

If you think I'm about to launch into a "Christmas can't be bought" rant, you're absolutely correct. It can't. No one can take a credit card to Macy's or amazon.com and purchase peace on earth. No check written can cover the cost of God's only son coming in the form of a dirt poor carpenter's kid to save the world from itself.

If you really want someone to "have Christmas," I suggest beginning with introducing them to Luke's gospel account of Christmas.
 Then, watch a few movies with them. First, A Charlie Brown Christmas, then Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and finally, A Christmas Carol. To "have Christmas," a person would need a sense of the love and peace that are supposed to accompany the holiday. He or she would need to see friends working together to make a simple, little tree embody the spirit of Christmas in spite of the rest of the world insisting that only bigger, fancier, and more will do. You would need to make sure they understood that, "...maybe Christmas...doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." And, of course, he or she would need to see how inportant it is to share with those who have less than we, because if we hoard everything for ourselves and make judgments about who is worthy to receive our gifts, we end up bitter and alone. But, that little baby in the manger was born to help us turn ourselves around, so it's never too late to learn to love.

I would also recommend watching the Christmas episode of Little House on the Prairie. Do you remember that one? I think it was the show's first season. The Ingalls family was waiting out a terrible snow storm in a little cabin on Christmas Eve. They had each other, but not much else. No gifts, little food, and it was bone-chilling cold. Then, along came Mr. Edwards, trudging through the frozen woods with icicles hanging from his beard, singing carols and bearing gifts. Were his arms laden with toys and new clothes and a giant ham?
Nope. Each child got a small tin cup, a penny, and a peppermint stick. And they were THRILLED!
Do you remember your grandparents telling you about how Santa would fill their stockings with an orange, some nuts, and maybe a piece of hard candy, and then follow it up with, "and we were happy to have it!"
No? Too young? Is it because my grandparents were actually my great-grandparents?
Whatever. Anyway, my point is that I can't think of very many modern children (or adults, for that matter) who would be excited to get an orange for Christmas just because it was a gift, which means that someone was thinking of them.

I wish we could get back to that. When I was a kid, there was always this sense of anticipation and joy in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I guess it was a little about the gifts, but that wasn't all of it. I knew there was a Cabbage Patch Kid or a My Little Pony coming, and I was excited about it. What kid wouldn't be? But, it was more than that. There was something about knowing my old toys and clothes were going to other kids who didn't have as much as I did, something about knowing I was going to get to see my cousin (hey, that's a big deal when you're an only child. Just ask her. She's one, too.), something about seeing my parents act as if the gift I chose for them was the greatest thing they had ever seen, that made it special. The music, the lights, the Nativity at church, and the extra hugs in Sunday school made the story of baby Jesus just a little more real.

Now, I feel as if Christmas has become a crazy mess of what-do-I-cook-and-who's-coming-over-and-we-have-to-be-at-this-house-on-that-day-at-this-time-and-if-I-don't-get-so-and-so-exactly-what-she-asked-for-she's-going-to-throw-a-hissy-fit-and-what-time-is-the-Christmas-Eve-service-again?????!!!!!

I don't want that. I want my peace back. I want my joy back. If this is what grown-up Christmas feels like, I want to be a seven-year-old again, just for the Christmas season.

Here's a picture of some people "buying Christmas" on Black Friday:

And, here's a picture of some (OK, fine they're fictional) people, "having Christmas" in their little home:

Who looks happier to you?

Maybe it's time for a little less "more," and a little more being happy to have it...whatever it is.