Celebrate!

I have a few friends, who I greatly respect and honor their choices, who choose not to celebrate Christmas. You have probably heard some of the reasons, and to them it is very important. I in no way want to dishonor that, but I simply want to tell you about my journey in why we celebrate Christmas.

I thought this through a few years back because some friends and I were talking about how to make Christmas more of a celebration of the Incarnation than selfish gift craziness. So here are a few thoughts for you to ponder as we go through our traditional Christmas seasons.... It 'just so happened' that I had just done a study and research project on the Jewish feast days a few years ago, in order to teach the feast days to my kids while we were homeschooling. All their feast days reminded me of our own elaborate holiday celebrations. I realized that God LOVES a celebration.

He required celebrations!

Celebrating Christ every day is essential in our homes, but He Himself set aside these Jewish feasts to celebrate and remember important things in the Jewish heritage, setting up lavish traditions, foods, even decorations for some feasts, visual reminders....symbols..... for the Jewish people. These were also, we know now, to point to the Messiah, fulfilled in Christ. And what event is more cause for celebration than the very Incarnation? So now I have no reservations about putting up lights, decorating the house, sing carols about the blessed event, baking special treats, setting up the manger scene and wanting to surprise people with special gifts....like God did for us. What a surprise those shepherds got that night, hmmm?

I hope you are able to take the time to ponder God's great gift this year as you celebrate with your loved ones.