Merry Christmas, everyone!
As Christmas day is coming to a close, we all can look forward to a little rest. For the past few weeks (or for others, months), the holiday season has brought with it ardent emotions. For many, this time of year is all about the Christmas spirit and remembering the Nativity of Christ. For others—including Christians—it is less about the gracious feelings and religious event that almost certainly did not happen in the winter, and more about an opportune time to give and receive gifts. For me, neither option is particularly appealing; I simply like Christmas for the warm-amidst-the-cold atmosphere, the sweater weather and coffee, and the cinnamon-scented candles.
That’s a personal thing for me, though—I don’t expect others to think of the holidays in the same way. But for those who lean in one of the directions described above, religious or secular, I warn you not to let others being not-religious or not-secular enough bother you. There are nobler hills to die on.
The church has a history of baptism—taking things that are broken and of this world, and making them righteous before God, something that gives him glory. On the other hand, the world has a tendency to do its own thing apart from religion—no harm done, no ill intent—just to function by its own economies and trends. So if you like the spiritual background of Christmas, don’t be mad at those who understand its commercial realities now. And vice versa.
Labels: Christmas, gifts, holiday season, nativity, religion, secular
