Maybe, the reason I think it didn't feel like Christmas is because of my distorted view of Christmas. Since I was a little girl, I've known that the "Reason for the season" is the birth of Christ. Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph, a carpenter. An angel of the Lord appeared to some shepherds, frightened them, and they followed a star to find Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem. Wisemen sent to search for the Baby Future-King Jesus knelt down at his cradle and gave him magnificent gifts. Etc... I know the Christmas story. I know the Christmas hymns. However, no matter the amount of head knowledge I have about the real reason to celebrate Christmas, this knowledge has been blocked from becoming heart knowledge because of the crazy consumerism of American society. I hate to admit it, but I think I've always thought of the Nativity and everything that goes with it as cheesy. Everywhere I look, I see Santa. Right next to him and his reindeer, I see huge plastic Mary and Josephs kneeling by a plastic baby wrapped in plastic swaddling clothes. Christmas lights surround the scene, evergreen wreaths adorn the wall of the stable, and a Christmas tree surrounded by colorful gifts is usually somewhere nearby.
In the past, I've spent the days leading up to Christmas anticipating the awesome gifts my parents have gotten me. I get excited for the 50 dollar bill Grandma always gives us, and for the candy sacks we always get after the Christmas pageant. I love watching It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and the Santa Clause movies. As I've already said, this year was a bit different. I was SO busy this semester. It was really quite unbelievable. Meetings, homework, and people consumed my life. With the craziness at the end of the semester, I never even had a chance to think about celebrating the commercial Christmas holiday. Sure, I wrapped a few gifts and my roommate put some lights up in the room, but in general, I didn't even realize it was almost Christmas and have yet to fully get excited about the holidays. Sad? Maybe, but when I realize why I didn't care, I find hope and thank God for his gracious love and forgiveness.
So what hope did I find, in my lack of excitement and celebration this holiday season? I found the hope that maybe, just maybe, I was able to look past the crazy holiday celebrations and reflect on the real reason for the season. Maybe, just maybe, I was able to continue living my life of glory and dedication to my Savior without As you already may know, my Grandpa Janssen passed away about a week before Christmas. He had been slowly dying for several months, so it wasn't a huge shock, but it still made for quite a depressing week before Christmas. However, as this was the first close funeral I can remember, I learned a few things. First, you learn a lot of new information about the person who died when all the family is together reminiscing and celebrating their life. The second thing I learned is the dedication that's possible in over 50 years of marriage. My grandparents celebrated their 50 Year Anniversary back when I was in middle school or younger. After that many years of marriage, they had raised four children, had their share of squabbles, and still loved each other. My grandmother spent every waking moment of my grandfather's last 5-6 months of life alongside Grandpa. She drove back and forth to the hospital or nursing home daily, staying overnight several times. Towards the end of his life, Grandpa didn't usually recognize me, but he always recognized his wife. They had stuck with each other through the good times and the bad and built a relationship based in Christ's love. Maybe, just maybe, the reason I was unable to celebrate the holidays like usual was because my view of the holidays was changed. Christmas really is about the birth of Christ, my Savior. It's about a God who shows more dedication to us than a wife ever could to her husband of almost 60 years. It's about a love greater than any human love that can ever exist. So maybe, just maybe, instead of celebrating the Christmas season like I always have, I was consumed with the hope and love of Jesus Christ as God revealed these awesome truths of the real meaning of Christmas to me. Instead of celebrating consumerism, I was able to celebrate the 87 year life of a wonderful, Godly man; the long, loving, human relationship between two relatives and role models of mine; and most importantly, I was able to celebrate the birth of a Savior who demonstrated the greatest love of all and a God who revealed--once again--my failures and His perfection to me.
By the way, for anyone who is curious, this is the awesome man I've talked about in more than one of my blogs by now. Vernon Janssen...avid tea drinker, farmer at heart forever, euchre master, and loving grandfather. Can't wait to see you in Heaven!
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