Happy Birthday, Jesus!

I hope you are enjoying some peace and joy with your loved ones. I hope you’ve finished your shopping and are finding time to be still and appreciate the greatest gift that has ever been given.

Jesus is the reason for this wonderful season. But, the activities of the Christmas season can keep us so busy that we miss what God has for us. The parties, the cards, the gifts, and the presents are all wonderful but can crowd out what really matters.

As I write this, I still have cards to send, Christmas gifts to buy, and Continuing Professional Education to complete. My list of things to do seems longer than ever as I work to cram everything that “must” be done into the few remaining days of the year.

How can we make this awesome time of year more about Jesus? That is something I struggle with, but here are a few ideas my family and I are working to implement.

Give Jesus a Present (or two!)

When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus responded that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord (Matthew 22:34). Jesus then added that the second greatest commandment was like the first and was to love your neighbor as yourself.

From what I understand, the concept of giving gifts at Christmas was started when Saint Nicklaus gave gifts to the poor to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Jesus’ heart was for the poor, the needy, the outcasts. For a fun and educational look at the history of Christmas, check out Phil Vischer’s (the creator of VeggieTales) “Buck Denver Asks…Why Do We Call it Christmas?” DVD. I was amazed at the origins of many of our Christmas traditions. You can buy a copy or stream it from Amazon or RightNow Media.

How can we give gifts to the people Jesus would be loving on if he was here? The easiest way for most of us is to donate to a charity that serves those in need. The more impactful way would be to do a service project over the holidays or just a good deed to someone who could never pay you back.

A few years back some friends of ours introduced us to a book called “The Sparkle Box”. It is a great book to read to your kids over the holiday season and it introduces the idea of giving gifts to Jesus over the holidays by giving to those who are less fortunate.

Ours even came with a little silver box to store notes about the gifts your family has given to Jesus over the holidays. Having that book and silver box around during the holidays is a great reminder of whose birthday we are celebrating.

Celebrate Jesus’ Birthday

We all know how to celebrate a birthday. We buy that person gifts, we focus on them, we celebrate them. Kids of all ages know how to celebrate somebody’s birthday.

So, how can we celebrate Jesus’ birthday? One thing we’ve done is to start talking about Christmas as Jesus’ birthday. We’ve even thrown Jesus a birthday party with cake, candles, and everything you’d expect. This is tough to pull off with friends during a pandemic, but I hope we get to do it next year. Doesn’t everyone love a birthday party?

Talking about Christmas as Jesus’ birthday has probably helped me way more than my kids. I get to remind myself as I remind my kids that this is Jesus’ birthday, not ours. Especially when I go shopping and find more stuff for me than who I was shopping for…

Be Still – “Be still and know that I am God” – Psalm 46:10. This may be the hardest suggestion of all. I know it is for me. A big way that we love people is by spending focused time with them. The same goes for God. I’m trying to get to the bottom of my list and saying no to as much as I can so I can get more time with God and my family over the holiday season.

What are some things you can say no to this season so you can yes to the most important? Saying no is always difficult, but it is the only way to keep your focus on what matters most.

I hope your holidays are less packed with to-do’s and more overflowing with love, joy, and peace.