Getting ready for Christmas Day
I’m beginning to hear people opening conversations by asking “Well, are you ready for Christmas?”
As I write this, Christmas Day is only a little more than a week away. So, as usual, the time is getting away for those of us who specialize in procrastination. If we are going to be ready for Christmas, we probably should be at the preparations right now.
Of course, getting ready for Christmas means different things to different people.
For some families, there is a great focus on getting the house ready. There are lights to string up all around the outlines of the house, lighted lawn figures to set up and anchor, wreaths to hang, blowup figures to get going. Some people put in days of work making the house and lawn look special for the season. Others who have the means may even hire specialists to come and decorate the place for Christmas. It is interesting to drive around and see the lights and creative designs that have been worked out by families getting ready for Christmas. Then there’s the inside of the house. Many of us put up a Christmas tree at some point, often decorated with lights and garlands and brightcolored globes, along with items that we have used on our tree for many years and many Christmases. Our family has several boxes of Christmas tree decorations that we have collected over the years, so our tree has become a tradition. Some of our decorations remind us of places we have lived and friends we have known over the years. We may add a few colorful flowers and poinsettias around the house, but beyond that we don’t go into decorating the house too much.
For many families Christmas plans include grand get-togethers, with feasting and talking and music and football games to watch on TV. That means that someone spends many hours shopping for food and preparing meals for a big group of people. It can be a fulltime job, occupying days of getting ready.
Then there is the giftbuying. I doubt that very many people make their gifts for giving any more. It has become common to think of shopping as a major part of getting ready for Christmas. I suppose that it is also one of the great causes of the stress that so many feel at Christmas time, especially if we are wanting to find that perfect gift that will thrill the one who receives it, and at the same time helps us avoid the feeling that we broke the bank with our shopping.
As a pastor, I often preached on the spiritual preparations for Christmas, which in the busyness of the season can get lost in the shuffle. The quandary I often felt in doing so was because it would be easy to take what I was saying as just one more thing to add to the busyness of an already hectic time. I would encourage people to read some of the Old Testament prophesies looking toward the coming of the Christ, and as Christmas Day approaches, to read from the Gospels the accounts of the birth of Jesus and the experiences of the people around Him. I would recommend passages of Scripture such as Isaiah 9, Isaiah 40, Isaiah 53, Isaiah 60, Isaiah 61; and from the Gospels, Matthew chapters 1-3, Luke chapters 1-2, and John 1:1-18. Of course there are many other passages that could be included. The point of this is to be refreshed concerning what we have to celebrate in observing the Christmas festival. And, to me, being refreshed in the meaning and purpose of the Christmas celebration alleviates some of the stress of the season. Celebrating is refreshing and uplifting. Having nothing to celebrate other than just trying to have fun is a recipe for an empty and stressful season. Celebrating the Lord’s gift of the Christ Child makes the season an inspiration, not a weight to be borne.
In ancient times, the Christian church began setting aside a season for getting ready for Christmas. That season, which they called the Advent season, was not just a time of decorating and preparing for festivities. It was a time of preparing the heart for Christmas, by Scripture, songs, prayers and gathered worship. The practice was to observe this season of preparation through the four Sundays before Christmas Day. Then, the Christmas Festival began on Dec. 25 and continued until Jan. 6, 12 days of celebration of the birth of the Christ Child. The celebration of that 12 day festival is the background out of which came the popular song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” with its three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree, and so on. In parts of the world, like our own USA, the tradition of observing Advent, then Christmas, somewhat faded from common practice in the evangelical churches. Today, at least in some congregations, we do see a growing restoration of these holy seasons and a greater appreciation for setting aside such special times for spiritual renewal.
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Editor’s note: Jerry Nichols, a native of Pea Ridge and an award-winning columnist, is vice president of Pea Ridge Historical Society. He can be contacted by e-mail at joe369@centurytel.net, or call 621-1621.