You hear that a lot…kinda rubs me the wrong way. This is gonna be a sort of curmudgeonly rant, so, if you will indulge me, read on…if you would rather not, don’t…lol.

This term ‘Season of Giving’ is wrong. Now, I am not knocking giving. On the contrary. Scripture instructs us to be giving. And though it is a good thing, that is NOT what Christmas is about.

If you really want to examine this, what we do at Christmas time with ‘gifts’ is not really giving. In our society, when giving a Christmas present to someone, it is a reasonable expectation to get a present in return generally. So, we are really ‘exchanging’ gifts rather than ‘giving’ gifts. And as I said, it is not necessarily a bad thing.

The use of the term ‘Season of Giving’ has been used more and more in recent years. Everyone wants to be seen as being one with lofty ideals. It has a virtuous sound to it when we use terms like ‘Season of Giving’. In reality though, this term is being used to make Christmas something to make a big deal about without admitting what it is really about. If they were to admit what it is really about, they would have to admit that there exists something greater than themselves and that is something that is very reluctantly recognized in our present society.

Most times, our society has brash reactions to things they don’t like and end up throwing the baby out with the bathwater. But in cases of things that they enjoy, they will tempt to minimize aspects that they would rather not recognize. In this case, they like Christmas. The like the lights, the presents, the carols, the gathering with loved ones, the good food….and these are all good things. They don’t want to do away with all that, they just don’t want to be made to recognize what the true meaning of Christmas is.

To perceive Christmas through its wrappings becomes more difficult with every year.
– E. B. White

Sounds like they would like to throw the baby out and keep the bathwater. Folks are so inconsistent when it comes to standing on their beliefs…

Speaking of babies, we come to what the Christmas season IS all about…

JESUS

…there…recognize HIM!

To recognize that it is about Jesus requires that who Jesus is be recognized. This is not something present society wants to do at all. They want to marginalize God in every way, but they don’t wanna not have Christmas.

God will not be marginalized…inconvenienced maybe…

How would it have been like for Jesus…the only Son of the Most High God…leave heaven…come to earth in mortal form…be born as a helpless baby to fallible human parents…grow to adulthood with all the pain that entails…be scorned by his own creation…and endure the sacrifice at Calvary. Sounds like it would be an inconvenience of the first order. We get irritated when we have to wait in a checkout line too long.

I am so glad that Jesus didn’t find me too much of an inconvenience. This is what Christmas is all about y’all. Emmanuel…God with us. He came to us to be the Savior who made the impossible possible. THAT is what we are celebrating.

So I pray that His blessings are on you as you spend time with family, enjoy good food and exchange presents. But let us not forget the reason that this holiday even exists…it’s a celebration of a birthday.