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 It seems like the more I get into Jesus, the less I'm into Christmas. I've talked to several of my friends, and they feel the same way. It's not that we don't like the family or fun of the Holidays, or the special traditions and glowing decor. It's just that there seems to be this tremendous and growing gap between the man whose birthday began the whole deal and our contemporary experience of it. It's as if Christmas trees and presents and all the tinsel can't cover up that Christmas needs to be rediscovered for something deeper that can't be derailed by selfishness or lost in commercialism. It needs some eternal meaning.
It would be a real shame to allow these feelings to become lousy Christmas keeping. For one thing, my neighbors are looking forward to the Holidays and I'd miss a real chance to connect with people in some very warm and spiritual ways. Second, people are really open to the story of Jesus' life during this time of the year, and it's always a tragedy to allow your own disillusionment to come in the way of telling the story to eager ears. Third, what will the world think if people who claim to be Jesus-followers act like Scrooge when their big Holiday dedicated to "peace on earth and goodwill towards men" rolls around. But that doesn't mean I can go along with Christmas as-is. It's just too much talk of good-will and a few good deeds when it should be a celebration of a lifestyle of solidarity and service. And everyone agrees -- except perhaps for the retail sector -- that it has become far too commercialized. Following Jesus' missional impulse, rather than reject Christmas, we need to revolutionize it. Here are a few suggestions I have to get the ball rolling: Gift Giving For many people, gift giving has become a burden like the chains dragging down the ghost of old Marley. It’s no wonder when the average family spends more than $1600 on Christmas each year, which amounts to roughly 4% of their entire yearly income. Since few Americans save for this annual hit to the wallet, most of this is charged to credit cards to haunt them into the New Year.  That isn’t to say that gift-giving is a bad idea. Most people agree that it was started to commemorate the greatest gift given to mankind. In that way, bestowing some thoughtful item on a loved one is participating in one of the root messages embedded in the Gospel. Who could criticize that?
On the other hand, everyone is pretty sure Jesus doesn’t want us to go into debt. Every obligation chips away at our freedom to follow Christ wherever he leads, so Christmas generated credit card bills can get in the way of our Jesus-following in very real ways. It’s likely too that Christ would be unsatisfied with the layers of unbridled consumerism and exploitation unleashed on the holiday originally founded in his name. Suggestions: - Avoid attempting to create the "gift high". In material culture, people buy and give to create emotions that are often not very healthy. Giving a very expensive gift can take someone’s breath away when they realize how much you’ve spent on them (thus assigning to them a high value) or when they realize the status this will give them, but it also tends to reinforce idolatrous attitudes towards possessions and the disastrous material value we assign to ourselves. While we may worry that our kids will feel let down if they don’t have as big a Christmas as their expectations or the cool over-priced gadget their friends will be sporting to the envy of their peers, giving in to these cultural themes isn’t very healthy either, especially in light of the Kingdom’s position against consumerism. The revolutionary thing to do is subvert the materialism and consumerism in gift giving by personally delivering reasonable gifts and at the same time communicating how we feel about the person as we give the gift. Then the gift becomes a secondary reinforcement to the relationship, not the symbol and substance of it.
- Recover a theology of gift giving. At its root, “grace” is a gift from God. We live and grow by the grace of God. We don't earn life or steal it. We are given ever bit of life and light from the hand of our Father. In the same way, gift giving should be intentional participation in the grace of God: we give gifts to help people live and grow and transform into complete and beautiful human beings. Gifts can say and do many grace filled things if we practice the right intentionality in them. Think about giving a gift that says: “I’ve taken the trouble to get to know you because you’re worth it.” “I’ve been listening to you in the way the Jesus listens to you.” “I’m here and you can count on me because God is always present and faithful.” The Internet is a treasure trove of research information to give gifts that are more personalized and grace filled. Try gift idea sites like FindGift.com , or research gifts according to your loved one’s interest or personality. The most important thing is to put redemptive effort into gift giving. Ask your self, how can this gift help, heal, or enhance the life of its recipient. How can God us me to give good gifts to his children.
- Leverage gift giving for good. Almost half-a-trillion dollars will be spent on Christmas this year. That’s tremendous power – either to make the rich wealthier and create a lot of closet clutter or to do significant good in the world. We need to engineer more ways to recapture our holiday spending in ways the build the Kingdom and benefit humanity. Consider shopping fair-trade to break the cycle of exploitation of foreign laborers. Check out Ten Thousand Villages, a great home décor and handicraft merchant that ensures a maximum of the product price benefits the local artisan that created it or look for a fair-trade or missionally minded merchant in your area [or check out the links here]. If you like to shop online, check out our Bookstore where you can buy books, music, and electronics at low prices and with fast delivery from Amazon.com, all while donating 6% to urban missions in New York City without any extra cost to you. If you’re shopping for the person who already has everything, consider shopping the World Vision catalog and purchasing a goat for a village or a badly needed medical procedure in your loved one’s honor.
Remembering Christmas It is unfortunate that the real Christmas story is seen as threatening or exclusive to so many. Perhaps Christians are to blame for our culture’s embrace of more “neutral” images and generic messages of the season by trying to forward their ideologies while the world simply wants to celebrate. Or it could be that Jesus is a poor salesman for the holiday rush compared to an overweight man and his eight tiny reindeer. In either case, bumper stickers proclaiming Jesus is the reason for the season aren’t cutting it in elevating Christ during the time when the world is most ready to listen. Perhaps we can take a page from to original missionaries and monks who subverted the pagan Yule celebration in European cultures for the cause of Christ. Make no mistake about it: even people with no identification with Jesus worry about the lack of concern for the poor in the holidays or the consumerist engine that increasingly powers it. Why shouldn’t we bring back the story of the Advent of the son of God both in word and deed, subverting the ways the holidays are going wrong by celebrating in better and more meaningful ways instead of simply joining the chorus of Christmas critics or going along with the whole thing as if nothing is wrong. Suggestions:  Demythologize the legends of Christmas. I’ve been surprised how Santa figures into the spiritual skepticism of many people I meet. It goes something like this: Santa is a mythical figure used to turn a nice profit, create community solidarity, and make kids behave. So, hmmm, what if God is just a mythical figure used to get people to fork over “donations”, create community solidarity, and make people of all ages behave? In my opinion, I think it’s time to quit “having fun” with stories of Santa coming while kids sleep and making toys at the north pole. While imagination and the story aren’t any more wrong or harmful than Winnie the Pooh, parents acting as if this is real with children can do expensive collateral damage down the road. That doesn’t mean getting rid of Santa, but rather uncovering the great heritage of Saint Nicholas [read his wiki for good material] who was known for his amazing generosity to the poor, including posting the dowries of several poor girls so they could marry instead to resorting prostitution. We could definitely live in the spirit of St. Nick in the way he lived in the spirit of Christ, without lying to our children or having to be totally alienated from our culture’s celebration of the holidays.
Get some of the original flavor of the Christmas story. The late story book version of the birth of Jesus has filtered out some of the rougher and realer aspects of the Advent for a more greeting card and shopping mall friendly presentation. Jesus was born to a family gripped by poverty. His extended family was so ashamed of his parent’s scandalous pregnancy, they refused them shelter even in the critical time of bringing a child into the world. Penniless, alienated, and absolutely marginalized, Mary and Joseph found hope in the mystery and wonder of their son Jesus, despite external conditions. This contrasts significantly with our Christmas stories where everyone gets rescued by an obscene pile of presents in the end. The real Christmas story can shock us out of our comfortable fire-side lull and holiday food-induced coma and make us pay attention to those who come into this world in conditions similar to our savior. What's more, it can dig up the real treasures of Christmas which can't be found under a tree: hope, resilience, faithfulness and justice, Find ways to enter into this messy but rich Christmas tradition of mystery and hope in the face of misery.
- Practice prophetic celebration. Perhaps because of the situation of his birth, and also because of the disruptive agenda of God, Jesus painted a vision of a radical realignment of human relationships. It wasn’t the influential, social beneficial, or relationally obligating people who gathered at the table with Jesus. No, his friends were sinners, lepers, former prostitutes, notorious swindlers, and people unwanted at any party. He could do this because he had a prophetic vision of the Kingdom of God where all were welcome regardless of their position in human kingdoms. The holidays are one of the roughest times for those with few social or relational connections. Recovering addicts often relapse, suicide rates increase, families often fight in ways that will disrupt their communication for the rest of the year. People need more than charity. They need welcomed to Christ’s table in our dining rooms. They need to join Jesus' family in our living rooms. They need Christ incarnated right before them in life-on-life contact. Practice hospitality to those Jesus did: the unwanted, the marginal, the outsiders, the unworthy, and the unclean. Demonstrate the vision of a King who sends his servants out to welcome it all those who wander the streets because they have nowhere to go. Refuse to allow soup service counters, charity organizations, and your checkbook to buffer you from the wonderful messiness of getting involved in the lives of those who need you most.
Do you have futhure insights or suggestions? Leave a comment below on other ways people can "reshape Christmas":
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