It’s no secret that materialism is a problem in our culture. Advertising is king and the economy relies on constant expansion. Christmas is a magical time once a year when we aren’t in school and can gather with family and friends — and usually get a lot of presents that we don’t need. While there is nothing wrong with celebrating Christmas, there is a wrong way to celebrate.
This year during the infamous Black Friday sales, a woman resorted to using mace on a fellow shopper to make sure she got an Xbox. Clearly this is in the spirit of giving and a great way to love your neighbor. Who doesn’t love a good pepper-spraying every now and again? Of course, this incident is perhaps not as bad as the trampling that occurs every year.
But what does this have to do with Christmas? After all, we are not one of “those” people using pepper spray and trampling through the aisles of Walmart. But whether you were responsible for trampling, pepper-spraying or stealing on Black Friday is somewhat beside the point. The point is that it happened so people could get cheap Christmas presents. As a culture we have entirely missed the point of Christmas.
Christmas was originally intended as a celebration of the birth and life of Jesus Christ. And in case you haven’t heard the story, he is the one who came on our behalf and died on the cross for the sins of the world — pepper spray or not. Hence the tradition of gift giving — Christ was a gift to the world, so we give gifts to one another.
Some might say this is an old-fashioned way of looking at Christmas and in a secular culture the meaning of Christmas is subjective. But even if you don’t believe in Christ Christmas should be celebrated in the “spirit of giving.” It should be obvious that the present itself is not what the holiday is about. Christmas is about giving to others because we have already been given so much. And if you don’t think you’ve been given a lot, open your eyes because you live in the most affluent country ever.
So for Christmas this year let’s celebrate redemption and move past the gifts. While we should live our lives generously, we don’t always do so. Let’s take this time to give to others who do have need. Donate blood, give food to a food bank or just love the people you are close to, and not just because they gave you a gift.
It’s time we celebrate Christmas for the holiday it really is.