What do you need to get into the Christmas Spirit?

Dec 15, 20244 min read

Around this time of year, we see the slogan, “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” You may have thought, as I have thought in the past, that this reminder is for other people or that other people need it more than I do. But that is being prideful and stubborn. We always have room for improvement.

Why do we need to be reminded at all?

Thanks largely to literature, shows, movies, music, and family tradition, an expectation is created for Christmas to feel different from other times of the year. It is often called getting into the Christmas spirit.

The recipe for what it takes for Christmas to feel like Christmas is going to vary. It usually involves things like:

A Christmas tree
Decorating
Carols
Watching Christmas shows and movies
Gifts
Parties
Holiday Meals
Special church services
Trips
Getting together with family and friends
Weather

Some are very protective of their Christmas traditions. Some might even declare that if too many things go wrong, Christmas is ruined. Being separated from a loved one at Christmas might have you thinking it will be a blue Christmas without them, as the song goes.

I once accidentally overheard a fight between a man and wife clearly about to be divorced. She accused him of stealing money from his business partner. His excuse was that it was Christmas, and he needed money to buy gifts for his kids. He was afraid of ruining their Christmas and he may have ended up in prison over it.

Are we seeking Jesus at Christmas or are we trying to manufacturer a special feeling? If this feeling is supposed to be about Jesus, then the only recipe item we need IS Jesus. After all:

Jesus + nothing = EVERYTHING you could ever want or need

Christmas can only be stained, dented, tainted, scratched, broken, or ruined if it is about us and our expectations. If we make it about loving God and others as we should do all year, then nothing can be lost no matter what happens.

No matter what amount of Christmas spirit you can achieve this year, next December you will need to start over again. Chasing happiness is like chasing the wind is what we learn in Ecclesiastes 1:14-2:26.

Contentment can be had whether things are going well or poorly. Philippians 4.11-13

Billions of dollars will be spent on toys and non-perishable gifts this year and most of it will be given away, sold for 10 percent of what was paid for it, or end up in the trash within 4 years. This might be a good time to re-read Matthew 6:19-21.

The Bible doesn’t tell us to celebrate Christmas, and it doesn’t tell us the day, season, or year He was born. From what I remember of the discussions, winter was the most unlikely time for Jesus to be born. Experts seem to debate that He was born either in the Spring or the Fall.

If I were to look to Scripture for a way to celebrate Christmas, I would consider what the shepherds did in Luke 2:15-20

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

There are three observations from the Text:

The shepherds heard the good news
Hearing it was not enough, they went with HASTE to experience it
They were excited and told others

There is nothing in the shepherd’s response that requires a time of year. Whenever we learn more about our Savior, we should quickly try to experience it. If we experience it, it will be awesome. It will be so awesome you will want to tell others.

I am not trying to put antlers on my dog and sneak into your house to steal your Christmas. What I have learned is that anything that is not specifically Scriptural needs to be watched closely.

There are aspects of Christmas like most people having time off from work that make it a great time of year to relax and spend time in fellowship. But no matter what you do for Christmas, keep it simple in your heart, just as Jesus’ birth was humble.

Don't chase a Christmas Spirit, chase Jesus. Jesus is not just the reason for THIS season, He is the reason for EVERY season.

Here are the Scriptures either used or considered in writing "What do you need to get into the Christmas Spirit?" By RD Montgomery

Ecclesiastes 1:14-2:26

Matthew 2.1-12

Matthew 6:19-21

Luke 2

Acts 16:16-34

Romans 14:19

Ephesians 4:29

Philippians 2:7-9

Philippians 4.11-13

James 4:8