Can they really cancel Christmas?
Where I live, and all over the world, people are living in various stages of lockdown. The second surge of COVID-19 is worse than the first, and every day the numbers are higher. It’s December and we are looking forward to Christmas. Or are we?
Can it be Christmas when we can’t get together?
YES!
First, have you ever considered this: in the first Christmas story, there wasn’t a single player who didn’t have their lives turned upside down, their plans changed and their world impacted by what happened. Over the next weeks, we’ll look at some of them.
Secondly, an epic Christmas is in your hands. Let’s look at some ways to make it happen.
The first Christmas
Wise Men
Remember the wise men? They were called “scholars from the east” and they had dedicated years of their lives to study, looking for this new king. This held great significance for them, as the world was in a mess. (Does that sound familiar?) They felt huge excitement when they saw the star, and gathered together to follow it. Imagine the anticipation as they realized, with the movement of the star, that they were on the right track. They brought enormously expensive gifts and took off to find this king. Although many manger scenes show them at the stable, it’s more likely they arrived when Jesus was about two. Still, this little kid was the new king? I can see them looking wordlessly at each other and then the star. This challenged everything. But they trusted and laid their gifts at the feet of Jesus.
Herod
Not a nice guy, Herod felt he had his life and position sewn up. As king, 
he enjoyed all the privileges the position allowed, and he loved it. Until the day the scholars from the east came talking about a new king sent from God. That terrified him! As powerful as he was, he couldn’t fight God. Not the brightest light, he decided to try, and set up a network of lies and deceit to deal with the problem. The new king was a baby, so he would kill all the boys under two years old. Done and dusted, with not a shred of compassion for all those mommas who lost their little ones. Not only did it not work, but it became his legacy. Not what anyone would want.
Your Christmas
Can you tell me about Christmas, 2005? What about 2014? The fact is that most Christmases blend together into one big marshmallow of family, friends and fun. 
But not 2020.
Chances are, you will remember Christmas 2020 for years to come. So let’s decide today that it will be special. Different, for sure, but you have a choice to make it a “good” different.
Remember all the years you felt stressed out by the holiday parties, social obligations and the general rush of the season? This year you have a chance not only to skip that stress but to learn lessons that can affect how you celebrate the season in years to come.
- Do what gives you pleasure. If decorating every conceivable surface brings you joy, then do it. If you love to bake and give plates of cookies to friends, that’s still a possibility. Give yourself opportunities to celebrate joy.
- Mark this special year. I love those ornaments that show the whole family with masks and display the year. Or get creative and make something that designates this year for you. (Have you seen the ornament with the toilet paper on it?) There will never be a year like this one, so mark it.
- Make some plans. You can’t do things like always, so how can you do them? In the next few weeks, we will look at possibilities.
Christmas may feel upside down and backwards, but it’s still Christmas and you have a choice to make it epic.
CLICK TO TWEET