We are officially in the Christmas season of 2023. From my perspective, it started on December 1st. Some people say the Christmas season starts on what is now called “Black Friday,” or the day after Thanksgiving. Some television networks kick off the Christmas season in October. Some people celebrate the Christmas season all year long! They love the idea of kindness and a giving spirit throughout the year. Tell me, how do YOU define the Christmas season?
There are many facets to the Christmas season. The true reason for the season is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Of course, based on the facts, Jesus was not actually born on December 25th. However, Christians use the time to celebrate His birth, and that is ok because no one actually knows when He was born, except for Mary and Joseph of course, and they did not share that information because it was a time when King Herod sought to kill the baby Jesus. Yes, we know the celebrations began as pagan traditions to honor the pagan idol Saturn during the Winter Solstice. We also know that there is no other time of year that has been widely accepted as the holidays, which includes at least 2 weeks of school closings. During this 2-week span, Kwanzaa is also celebrated for a week. With no other time of year being given so much attention, we use this worldly devoted time as an occasion to celebrate the birth of Jesus, which kicks off the celebration of Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is a 7-day celebration of African-American culture. Another celebration during the Christmas season is that of Hanukkah, which is an 8-day celebration for the Jewish community. It starts on December 7th this year, and ends on December 15th. It seems kind of funny how Christmas itself is celebrated just one day, or maybe 2 if you count Christmas Eve, while the other celebrations in December last 7 and 8 days, yet we call it the “Christmas” season. That tells me Jesus is still the most important.
I mentioned that there are many facets to the Christmas season, so let’s talk about them. We already mentioned the celebration of Jesus’ birth. There are also decorations, which start popping up all over town on the day after Thanksgiving, or sooner. Some people keep those decorations up until New Year’s Day. I must admit that I am guilty of both of these practices. There are also some people who keep their Christmas decorations up year round. These are likely the same people who like to celebrate Christmas all year long. Decorations include colorful lights on the outside and/or the inside of homes. You may even see a tree decorated with lights in the town square. On the outside, lights can be found hanging from gutters, rooftops, light poles, shrubbery, porch frames, decks, window sills, and door posts. On the inside, lights can be found hanging from a fireplace, window frame, door frame, and Christmas tree, with the tree being the main focal point. I love driving past lit up houses at night. Some people can be quite creative. I have seen houses and yards with lights that illuminate the whole block! It’s a beautiful sight! There are lights in the yard shaped like trees and deer. There are white lights that hang from the gutters to appear as icicles. Let’s not forget about the blinking lights! Some blink to music! If you are ever in Hartford, Ohio during the Christmas season, you should stop by Wonder Lights Christmas. It is a drive through Christmas lights show. I have not had the pleasure myself. but its on my list of fun activities to enjoy. If you are ever in Columbus, Ohio during Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even the New Year, you should check out Wild Lights at the Columbus Zoo. Beautiful lights are on display from the middle of November through the first week of January.
Besides lights, decorations can include nativity scenes, complete with the wise men, animals, Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus. Decorations also include replicas of Santa, his sleigh and reindeer, large red ribbons, dusted pine cones, snowmen to remind you of Frosty, ornaments, tinsel, and garland hanging on the Christmas tree, popcorn on a string, paper chains, fake snow made of cotton, a tree skirt to simulate grass under the tree, and let’s not forget the star that sits on top of the tree. Sometimes it is an angel topper. Lately, I have been using my angel topper that has an angel blowing a horn to announce the birth of the King of Kings. I have also seen decorations on vehicles on the road. I have seen reindeer antlers on top, wreaths and big red ribbons on the grill, and bells hanging from the mirror on the inside. If you have other Christmas decorations, drop us a comment and tell us all about it!
Another facet of Christmas is the music. For as long as I can remember, my favorite Christmas song to sing was Silent Night by the Temptations, but in the past few years, I have found myself more often singing Mary, Did You Know? by Pentatonix. I have so many Christmas songs that I love to hear, like Christmas This Year by TobyMac, Come On, Christmas by Matthew West, or The Little Drummer Boy by the Temptations. There are many versions of the classic Christmas songs, like Jingle Bells, Joy to the World, and Deck the Halls just to name a few. I could go on and on because I just love Christmas music! Drop us a comment and let us know your favorite Christmas song. The one I love to sing at church is Kirk Franklin’s version of Now Behold the Lamb.
Another thing I want to highlight regarding the Christmas season is the use of mistletoe. It is believed that if you and another person find yourselves standing under mistletoe, not on purpose, you are supposed to kiss. However, in early culture, it was thought that if a man found a woman standing under the mistletoe, they could steal a kiss for good luck. However, if the woman refused to participate, it would be considered bad luck. Personally, I have never hung mistletoe or been caught standing under it. I would be quite uncomfortable if a stranger came up and suddenly kissed me because of where I was standing. However, if God wants to send me my husband that way, I would not object! Drop us a comment and let me know if you have ever kissed under some mistletoe.
The next thing I want to mention regarding the Christmas season is gift giving. Who doesn’t like presents? The spirit of the Christmas season is supposed to be centered around giving being better than receiving, so people go out of their way to put smiles on others’ faces with unexpected gifts. Gift giving can be an awesome experience for the giver as well as the receiver. It warms the heart to see a smile that results from a gift you have given. It is also a great feeling to know that someone cared enough to take the time to pick out a gift for you. Drop us a comment and tell us about the best gift you have ever given. You can also tell us about the best gift you have received. I would have to say the best gift I have ever given during the Christmas season was giving birth to my son. My husband was happy to have a son after we already had a daughter. I would have to say the best gift I have received from someone else, based on how much I use it, was my oversized fleece hoodie. There are other gifts I have received that I love dearly, like all of the ornaments my children made in school. There are way too many past gifts from family and friends, so I cannot go through them all.
The last thing I want to mention regarding the Christmas season is the traditions. We have some simple traditions in my family. For starters, everyone gets to open one gift on Christmas eve. Another tradition we used to do as my children became adults was celebrate at the house of the person who moved into a new place that year. Of course if no one moved, we would just meet at my house. Nowadays, everyone shares in the cooking as we alternate hosts. When my children were younger, they would wake up before sunrise on Christmas morning and proceed to wake up the whole house with their excitement. However, these days, I seem to be the only one who wakes up early with that same excitement! People like to use the saying, “like a kid at Christmas,” but I am always a kid at Christmas! I just love the Christmas season! Another tradition is centered around what I like to call “the S word.” People are not allowed to use the S word before I am ready for winter. In case you are wondering, the S word is Snow. I love snow when there is enough to play in, especially when you can make a good snowball with it. Ask any of my children or grandchildren, I will start a snowball fight in a heartbeat! I also love sitting on the porch and looking at the glistening snow. Only God can make something sparkle so gloriously. Drop a comment and tell us about some of your Christmas traditions.
Before I end this, I feel there is a need for me to take a stand regarding Santa. Yes, before I knew better, I did the same as everyone else, in that I told my children Santa was bringing them gifts. However, as I built my relationship with Jesus Christ, I learned to give thanks to God, instead of thanking Santa. Yes, I do believe there was once a person who went out of their way to bring joy and happiness to children with Christmas gifts. However, that was a tradition that has been passed down through generations and it has morphed into people showing the same kindness and generosity as the original Santa. While the spirit of Santa lives on, the man called Santa does not. Only God has the power to perform miracles. Sorry, not sorry. When you know better, you do better.
I hope this post was fun to read. I had fun writing it. I pray you all have a very blessed holiday season. Stay tuned for more fun in the new year! Until then, to God be the glory!
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