I have an unpopular opinion: the holidays are not about family.
Hear me out. We just made it through Thanksgiving, and Christmas is knocking on the door. It’s that weird Twilight Zone time period where you aren’t quite sure what day it is, and the office is a ghost town. It allows for some time to think.
I’ve always been a big supporter of making the holidays your own. Do you want to go on a cruise to the Bahamas for Christmas? Do it. You want to fast during Thanksgiving? Go for it. You want to nap all day on Easter because it’s your biggest work day of the year? I’ve been there.
It’s probably the Enneagram 8 in me, but I am here for going against the grain and doing your own thing. It’s going to rub people the wrong way, for sure. This is probably already rubbing you the wrong way.
But, tell me…
What is Christmas really about?
Cindy Lou Who asked the very same question, and I totally get where she was coming from. I’m not exactly worried about the materialism in America, but I do think we’ve missed the mark on the meaning of Christmas. Maybe that makes me a Grinch.
Ultimately, Christmas is about redemption. It’s about an unlikely woman saying “yes” to a miracle-making God who had a plan to bring literal hope down to earth to set His people free. It’s light in a dark world. It’s the supernatural in the natural. It’s obedience breeding restoration. It’s the big Story making every other story worth reading. It’s mind-blowing, it’s messy, it’s Christmas.
“The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn — not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” John 1:9–14 NLT
As important as family is, it’s never going to deserve the credit for Christmas. It just isn’t. Christmas is too important, too sacred, too life-altering to be boiled down to a time for family.
My God chose a woman to be the avenue that His only Son would enter our dark and broken world to rescue us from what can only be described as hell. I can’t overlook it. Not during Christmastime or any other time of year.
So this year, I’ll spend time with my family for a couple of hours. I’ll make time for Christmas parties and friends. I’ll wear an ugly sweater and decorate cookies. But I’ll slow down, dwell on the advent season, and consider the miracle and mess that Christmas is.
