What makes Christmas “Christmas”?

It’s been hard to imagine this past week that Christmas is really near. Karen and I have been in Panama City for a week now, and the heat has been intense. Temperatures have only been about 90 degrees, but humidity has been so high that one feels constantly as if a sauna would be a good place to go to cool off. We’re enjoying it immensely, but it definitely doesn’t feel like Christmas.

Or, at least it doesn’t feel like what we think of as Christmas.

However, it has me thinking about the fact that what Americans and Europeans think of as Christmas is really just one of many expressions of the holiday. “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas” is a funny concept in a country where snow is just an abstract concept and Christmas dinner can easily be enjoyed outside at midnight in the relief of a slight breeze. In some countries, “I’m dreaming of a slight breeze” would be more appropriate.

So what makes Christmas “Christmas”? It’s not snow because millions celebrate it without ever seeing a snowflake. It’s also not mince pies, though I enjoy sharing them with my Scottish family as much as anyone. It’s not even turkey and stuffing.

In fact, Jesus himself is not likely ever to have seen a snowflake in Judea or to have eaten a turkey to celebrate his birthday. And he definitely never met Santa Claus or Father Christmas…

In the “Christian” world, Christmas is a holiday we’ve adopted to remember the birth of Jesus Christ. But it’s not Jesus’ birthday. He was more likely born closer to the end of September, though some would argue for April or October (but that’s another discussion for another time).

What is Christmas then? It’s a holiday that has many faces but which has been adapted as a Christian holiday on the church calendar. A “church calendar” was adopted by many in the Church many years ago, with days throughout the year set apart to remember various aspects of the life of Christ and the Christians. Easter Sunday is one of the days on the church calendar, as are Pentecost Sunday, Trinity Sunday, and a number of others that people in some church traditions have forgotten about in more recent times. On the Church Calendar, the four weeks before Christmas are called Advent, the Christmas season begins on December 25th and it lasts for 12 days.

Of course, none of these things are designed to coincide with the actual dates these events happened, but are used to help Christ-followers remember significant moments in the history of the Christian Church and to take times throughout the year to focus on the different aspects of their faith. So Christ-followers need to remember that Christmas is not actually Jesus’ birthday, but it is a time set aside to remember Jesus’ birth.

Christ wasn’t always a part of this holiday. Christians actually adopted a holiday that already existed in their culture and made the time their own. That’s one reason it’s kind of funny to me when people get upset about non-Christians celebrating the holiday without reference to Christ.

The reality is that we have no reason to be offended when people who don’t believe in Jesus don’t include Jesus in their celebration of the holiday. If they don’t believe in Him, we don’t do ourselves any favors by trying to force Him upon them. When Christians boycott non-Christian businesses for saying “happy holidays,” they do themselves and the cause of Christ a great disservice. They make Christians look insecure and make Christianity out to be some kind of political cause motivated by force rather than a lifestyle motivated by love.

Christmas has many faces but, for those of us who follow Christ, it should be a time to stop and remember God’s love for us. He sent His only Son to the world because He loved us all and, as we celebrate Christmas, we have an opportunity to focus on the greatest gift that anyone has ever given… the gift of Jesus. Instead of condemning people for not recognizing Him, we could use our time and energy a lot better by recognizing Him ourselves and sharing His love with others. Rather than fighting AGAINST others, we should be doing things like giving the gift of love to the poor and needy, exercising grace toward those who don’t know Him yet, and expressing His love in every way we possibly can — in other words, acting the way we should all year long if we are truly followers of Christ.

For non-Christians, the holiday may be more about giving presents and Santa Claus but that’s okay. They don’t know Jesus yet, so it’s really kind of silly for us to demand that they give him lip-service before they know Him. At least they’re taking a moment in their year to think about such things as the giving of gifts and the value of family and love. Maybe if we will stop condemning non-Christians for not thinking like Christians and just love each and every one, some will come to see for themselves that such values have their basis in the One who gave the ultimate Gift… the One who invites us all into His family and loves us with the Ultimate Love.

So what’s Christmas really about? It may seem like I’m just muddying the waters by saying it has many faces but, for those of us who know Christ, it really IS all about Christ. It’s just that being all about Christ should NEVER be about forcing others to do it our way. Being all about Christ should ALWAYS be about loving Him ourselves and then displaying His love by living it out in our relationships with the world around us.

On Sunday afternoon, we sat in a restaurant in Panama where an electronic Santa Claus was dancing in the corner. He was dressed in a big red coat with his well-known white beard flowing down to his chest. In the extreme heat, some of us were wondering why he didn’t change to Bermuda shorts before coming to Panama. I guess it just goes to show that certain symbols have found their way around the world.

What I pray, however, is that God’s love would also find its way around the world through us. Unlike Santa Claus, who sometimes doesn’t think to change his clothes before he dives into the heat, this love may change its clothes and change its expression in different circumstances and cultures. Yet, it always displays the love of Jesus. He left his throne in the heavens to put on our clothes and to live as one of us, and he eventually gave His very life as the Ultimate Gift of love.

May we remember this Christmas season that we, too, are called to give of ourselves for others. I guess that’s what I’m trying to say Christmas is really about for the Christ-follower. It’s a time to to be reminded that Jesus gave himself for us and that we are called by Him to pass the gift on as we give of ourselves to others.