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“‘‘Tis the Season, What’s the Reason?”



The Christmas Creep, a phenomenon where Xmas decorations and advertising comes sooner and sooner every year, is in full effect. This year Christmas invaded before Halloween, and although I boycott the All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween) because of its Day of Dead, Occultic, and Crypto-Catholic roots; I still was not thrilled to see evergreen trees and chestnuts on an open fire at the same time as pumpkins and while the leaves are still turning! The Christmas Creep was first recognized widely in a Charlie Brown episode where Charlie Brown goes to a mall and finds a sign saying “only 262 days till Christmas,” and much to Charles’ chagrin there was already Christmas gifts and paraphernalia being advertised. 

Each year Christmas creeps earlier and earlier. Hallmark Channel even has “Christmas in July,” where they show reruns of their beloved Xmas classics during the month of July! All the holly so early has made the Holy and special nature of this holiday fade. The commercialization of Christmas has reached the boiling point and I for one feel already done with the season. 

I have spent many a post debunking the folklore’s of Christmas. I have written how the traditional fat Santa in red with a white beard is really Oiden, a Norse god,  rather than the skinny Turkish St. Nicholas who is the closest real life Sanda. I have contended with the mystical and mythical side of Christmas that really only took hold in last thirty years thanks to Coke Cola, the Rockafellers, and a revival of interest in Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol.” Xmas has indeed become a hoshposh of pagan traditions both old and new, and to convince us Christians to stay loyal to this green and red festival, they throw a Nativity in for good measure and some camels. 

Christmas isn’t about “boxes and bags, perhaps Christmas is about something more.” (The Grinch, Dr. Sues). The green Hairy Who from Whoville is on to something. Christmas isn’t about the paganized Santa Claus or presents, Christmas is about Christ Jesus! It is celebration of the first coming of our real and truly existing Lord and Savior who was born a baby who would grow into a man and die for our sins on the cross and rise from the dead. In fact, this year I intend to revive an ancient church custom of Advent. In the Middle Ages, Advent starts on the first Sunday of December and ends on the last Sunday before Christmas. Many fast until Christmas, but the older tradition I adore is the Parousia or Adventus readings where you gather every Sunday in Advent to read the passages of Scripture that pertain to the Second Coming of Christ, for example Matthew 24, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-11, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Luke 17, Revelation 19:11-21. Then on Christmas Eve you read the First Coming of Christ in Matthew, Chapter 1 and 2, John 1:1-17, and Luke Chapters 1 thru 3. In this way we mediate on the return of our Lord (second adventus), and the first adventus when He came as a child. This puts us Christians in the frame of mind that soon our Lord Jesus Christ will return on the clouds of glory as we remember and celebrate His first coming in humility. 


It is time to reclaim Christmas’s and make it about Christ again! For you more radical believers like me, I urge a purge of all things Santa Claus in favor of images of our Savior Christus (Christ). Instead of movie marathons, have Scripture marathons and pray with your families. For Advent pray “Yes, come quickly Lord Jesus,” (Revelation 22:20) and at Christmas sing the duo-meaning song  “O Come Emmanuel,” which is reminder  He came as child and is the song of the Brude of Christ for the Second Coming, “let the Bride day come!” (Revelation 22:17). Let’s saturate Christmas in Christ our God and Lord! Let’s honor the Father who gave His Son as sacrifice for our sins and allow the Holy Spirit to replace the “spirit of the season.” Let’s stop teaching our children to “store up treasures on earth,” and instead “store up treasuries in Heaven,” (Matthew 6:19-21). Reclaim our holiday and let the trees of evergreen be replaced with the cross, “As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died.” (Galatians 6:14 NLT). Let the mistletoe, holly, and pine be replaced with “frankincense, myrrh, and gold.” (Matthew 2:11). Let us take our eye off the commercials and fix our eyes on Christ Jesus! (Hebrews 12:2). Amen. 

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