THINGS I KNOW

December is upon us…and the whole world is having a party. While my favorite holiday remains Thanksgiving, I really enjoy Christmas. The lights, the decorations, the music—there is a festive atmosphere that permeates the air.

As I ponder the very real impact of the Incarnation upon human history (and upon my history), I am not above having a celebration, a party, a time of fun and enjoyment during December. But every year, there is at least one individual (or group of individuals) who wants to remind me or inform me of the “truth” about Christmas, in order to dissuade me from enjoying the holiday. Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to set forth some things I know:

I know that Jesus was probably not born on December 25. I am puzzled as to why the Scrooge patrol thinks this is a devastating argument against celebrating Christmas. If you have the exact date of Jesus’ birth, let me know and I’ll adjust my calendar. Until then, I have 365 choices, so I’ll stick with December 25.

I know that December 25 was appropriated from non-Christian observances. For that matter, so was Easter. For that matter, so are the names of the months and the days of the week.

I know that the wise men were not at the manger. And before you say anything, I know there weren’t three, they weren’t kings, and they were not from the Orient. But since they set out to find the One who was born King of the Jews, I’m willing to cut manger makers a little slack. As the old saying goes, “Wise men still seek Him.”

I know that bad people decorated and worshiped trees in Jeremiah’s day. The only creatures in my house that venerate our tree are the cats…and I wish they would stay out of the branches!
I know that Christmas is a time of great materialism. But I like the atmosphere of the mall at this time of year. I like gifts. I like the lights.

I know that Santa Clause does not exist (sorry, Virginia). But in my humble opinion, this make-believe fantasy character is not the epitome of all that is wrong with celebrating Christmas.

Christmas is a party. Part of my job--my commission--is to let people know about the One they are celebrating. I'm more than happy to share what I know, but please don't throw lumps of coal on my holiday fun! This December, I urge you all to relax...and have fun.