Merry Chaos!
Merry Christmas, Merry X-Mas, Happy Holidays or Bah Humbug!
The other day in the store, I overheard some grumbling Grinches say how glad they were that Christmas only came once a year. I assume that they weren’t too thrilled with the long lines and money-making marketing ploys and pleas of the season. That or else their chilly hearts were standing too close to the warm Christmas Spirit from other passing shoppers.
I also listened at length to other Christmas curmudgeons complaining as they went about their hustling and bustling. One person spoke of how they weren’t sure if they’d ever get the house clean enough for visiting family, or about how long it was going to take to make all the goodies for the party.
It sounded like they were also hoping Christmas would all be over soon so they could go back to relaxing without any added responsibilities.
And in today’s politically correct world of, be careful not to offend anyone (which is impossible), it’s as if some people are afraid to express or respond with a Merry Christmas or choose to substitute X-mas for Christmas – which technically works because X comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Cristos. So, you’re still covered.
I wonder how many people spell Christmas in their minds and in their hearts as C-H-A-O-S?
Do some of us worry too much about the amount of presents we give and receive, especially for ourselves, more than the amount of presence we give and receive both to and from our friends and family? Compared to the true reason for the season, worrying about the so-called chaos and costs is like only eating the cold crust of a warm apple cobbler.
How many people, especially our loved ones, are starving for the Spirit of Christmas because they think it costs too much to give or is too much of a hassle to deal with all the deadlines, shopping lines, coupons, customers, etc.?
There are much more tragic things that happen during the Christmas holiday than not spending enough money. Holidays and any other special events in people’s lives should be more about spending time, not money. In other words, it’s not a competition for completion, but it’s about love.
I’m pretty sure no one ever went into debt or became bankrupt because they spent too much time truly loving others.
This year, and every season of our lives, let us replace the chaos of the Christmas competition with compassion, the tragic with magic.
I’ve heard it said that if we can’t find Christmas in our hearts, we won’t find it under the tree.
So, instead of looking under the tree, let’s look inside our hearts to both give and receive the true gifts of Christmas and beyond. Instead of worrying about who gets what and how much it costs, let us be less concerned with how much we spend on Christmas and more concerned with how and who we spend Christmas with and make the most of this season. Not only once a year, but as often as we can.
Less often more, a principle that more true than ever this time of year, remembering Him who makes everything possible.