Recently a parent driver teased my daughter that she didn’t have Christmas spirit, presumably because we had no exterior Christmas lights at the time. The comment was said in jest and my daughter was amused.
To provide more context, we were in the middle of a garage renovation. Although the weather was briefly conducive to hanging Christmas lights, under the circumstances finishing the door was a higher priority.
Furthermore, it was still Ordinary Time. My daughter knows that even if we hang our lights in nice weather, we never illuminate them before Advent, but she didn’t care to justify anything to an adult. Instead, she merely said, “Well, we are getting ready inside.” Good answer!
This conversation has moved me to ask, “What really is ‘Christmas spirit’?” Certainly, it is unrelated to decorations, but how does one really define it?
I make my own Christmas cards, so I’ve been thinking of Christmas for weeks as I’ve planned and executed my design. Because we have family living far away, I’ve been purchasing gifts over the past few months, preparing them for the mail. Since I play the piano, I’ve been rehearsing Christmas music. My heart and mind are engrossed in physical Christmas preparations. Does this mean I have Christmas spirit?
I have signed up for Advent prayers to be delivered to my inbox. In terms of spirituality and faith, I am preparing for Christmas. Does this mean I have Christmas spirit?
Contrary to the trends of society, in our Church Christmas actually begins on Dec. 24 and lasts until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which is the Sunday following the Epiphany (Jan. 6). In our faith, the four weeks before Christmas – Advent – are days of preparation and anticipation. We slowly decorate our homes, prepare for special meals, and ready our hearts to celebrate the birth of our Saviour. Our lights may turn on a little later than those of our neighbours, but they remain fully lit until Jan. 6. Is respecting the significance of our liturgical seasons having Christmas spirit?
I am realizing that having my inner motives and feelings challenged by something only visible from the outside not only is inaccurate but can also put me on the defensive. It has also made me realize how often we can become tempted to make assumptions and unfounded judgments in life. For instance, just because someone is quiet does not mean they are unhappy. Just because someone has trouble reading doesn’t mean they are not smart. Just because someone is thin doesn’t mean they are healthy. Just because someone goes to church every Sunday does not mean they are free from sin.
From the outside, it seems the world has transformed Advent into Christmas, at least in terms of festivity and decor. Then on Boxing Day – just as the true Feast begins – many lights go dark and many trees are taken down. Sadly, in some places, the true Christmas season takes on the appearance of a more “ordinary” time.
But is it an ordinary time? As the Grinch concludes in the familiar How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss, Christmas “doesn’t come from a store … Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
Our world received the gift of a Saviour, and that doesn’t change, regardless of outward appearances. Just as those living in houses without lights in November can have Christmas spirit, so can those who tear everything down as soon as the religious season begins. Even those without possessions at all or those who have lost all material goods in natural disasters can have the gifts of hope and love that Jesus’ birth brought to our suffering world.
True Christmas spirit brings love and generosity to others, not just at Christmas but throughout the year. We need the Saviour’s gifts every day, regardless of festivities or dates on a calendar.
My daughter was not about to explain our faith to an adult who made a joke, but that joke inspired me to examine “spirit” a little more (in the style of Seuss):
I then thought of something, not really new.
“What if Christmas spirit, perhaps, lasts the year through?
What if true Christmas spirit lies within you?”
How are you “getting ready inside” this year?
