Cutting Back for Christmas

When I was younger, my parents used to warn us kids every so often, “Things are a little tight this year. We are going to have to cut back.” We never wanted to hear that – it meant that our gifts were going to be reduced in quantity and even in quality. The prognosticators are telling us that 2008 will see drastic cutbacks in shopping, gift giving, decorating, etc… People are feeling the financial pinch, no doubt. I wonder how many families will be telling their children, “Kids, we are going to have to cut back this year.”

In reality, however, is it even possible to cut back on Christmas? Sure it is possible to reduce the gift giving and some of the other trappings of the holidays. But is it possible to cut back on what Christmas is all about? If we give NO gifts, and eat NO candy, and exchange NO cards, and visit NO family, will it still be any less Christmas? Does any of that impact the incarnation of God? Will Jesus Christ be any less the Savior of the world? Of course not! Christmas is about Jesus becoming a man for the purpose of saving mankind! We celebrate the wonderful concept that the unique God-Man arrived in the form of a baby.

Of this fact, it is impossible to “cut back.” Our country, and even most of the world, is experiencing stressful times. In the midst of these financial difficulties, I hope that our attention and affinity will be driven to the Savior even more so than in our past. In light of the need to cut back on the trappings of the holidays, it is my prayer, that we will all be driven to hewn our gaze upon Jesus Christ, the God-Man who humbled Himself to become a man, even an infant! Perhaps these lean times are indeed, an actual blessing from God to refocus our interests and passions after Him and not on the peripheral things.

What a great opportunity is right in our laps THIS year to develop new traditions and plans that focus on Him. Our families can reinvent worship of the Christ child with new or even revamped activities. Some suggestions:

• celebrate the anticipation of the incarnation with an advent wreath in our homes
• use a series of Scriptural readings at the nightly dinner table to focus us on the Christ
• pool a portion of our money designated for gift giving to advancing an organization who is doing a great job of spreading the message of the Gospel particularly at the Christmas season
• engage in old fashioned carol singing in our Homes and with friends
• engage in seasonal journal writing along the theme of how Christmas REALLY affects me
• and many more fabulous ideas from YOU!

In these lean financial times, I would suggest that we should not be cutting back at all! In fact, in full light of the lean times, we should be doing just the opposite – we should be ramping up our celebrations and realizing that the hard times are a divinely orchestrated opportunity to celebrate Christmas in a more rich and full manner than perhaps we ever have before.

Cut back for Christmas? I don’t think so!