In Search of the Christmas Spirit
“It’s easy to get caught up in the hubbub of the season. Holiday traditions become tasks to check off a list, time with family and friends can be cut short by busy schedules. The joy we should experience is sometimes obscured by the stress we do experience.”—FORMER OKLAHOMA [U.S.A.] GOVERNOR BRAD HENRY, DECEMBER 23, 2008.
AS THE Christmas season approaches, songs, films, and TV programs promote a jolly and exciting holiday mood—the Christmas spirit. What do you think should be the most important element of that spirit? Would it be
Remembering Jesus Christ?
Sharing in the joy of giving?
Helping the needy?
Spending time with family?
Promoting peace?
As Governor Henry, quoted earlier, put it, many who celebrate Christmas find it difficult to achieve any of those goals during the holiday season. Christmastime often tends to be hectic, stressful and, above all, commercial. Is cultivating the Christmas spirit—or at least what it is supposed to be—a lost cause?
The Bible does encourage all of us to remember Jesus Christ, to be liberal in giving, to help the needy, and to spend time with our families. It also teaches us how to be peaceable. Therefore, rather than discuss why some do not celebrate Christmas,a this series of articles will consider the following questions:
What do some feel should be the reason for celebrating Christmas?
Why is it a challenge to achieve what they hope for in Christmas?
What Bible principles have helped millions to find something better than Christmas?
a For the Scriptural reasons why some people decide not to celebrate Christmas, see the article “Our Readers Ask—Why Do Some People Not Celebrate Christmas?”