So it's that time again...
Christmas Eve is tomorrow. Sure, I've been listening to Christmas music since september, have my apartment all decked out with decorations, have all my shopping done, been to a number of different Christmasy events, and have family coming tomorrow, but it's still unbelieveable that tomorrow will be December 24th. Where has the time gone? And the magic...? Is it because I'm working throughout the holidays that things feel different? The fact that I'm no longer in university, and thus have no well-defined Christmas break? And, for the first time, will not make it to Cold Lake at some point in the season? Is it just growing up? Or has my heart just become hardened to the true wonder and beauty of the Christmas story? Hmmm...perhaps all of the above.
Rae and I stopped by Walmart on our way back into town tonight, because we thought of one last gift we needed to get. Funny how at 10 pm the parking lot was still jammed pack with vehicles. The store was basically a gong-show, with many of the shelves bare, and people scurrying about in attempts to get everything they need for the upcoming holiday. Rae and I calmly walked around the store and got what we needed, not really in a rush or anything. And as we were at the checkout I was observing people, and every single person in that store appeared to be totally stressed out...certainly not full of Christmas cheer.
And I felt sad. Christmas has lost its meaning in so many ways here. Sure, we hear the carols on the radio, but does anyone actually listen to the lyrics? How could you NOT know that this season is about the birth of Christ, it being played over and over again in the songs. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way...many people despise christmas for the pure fact that it has become something it was never meant to be.
I can't say I'm exempt from focusing on meaning other than the truth at Christmas. Although I can honestly say that I'm at the point where I get more from giving than receiving gifts, I still get chills when I watch christmasy movies, or hear some of my favorite carols being played, or go watch a choir sing, or even just stare at my christmas tree (which I just found out is illegal, by the way). And the baking of goodies...what a time!! These things are not necessarily bad, but again, don't really have much to do with Christ's birth.
I remember in years past, going to the Christmas Eve service, and hearing for the 100th time the story of Christ's coming to this world. And it would never cease to give me tingles, and my eyes well up with tears, imagining God coming to earth as a tiny baby, dependent on his parents for survival, who existed solely for setting an example of how to live, and died so that we may live that life. How does that story get old? How have we become so hardened? How can we fix this?
So I'm going to bed tonight, and picking up my bible to read the story over, and will pray that God will allow me to feel full of the joy, peace, hope, and love that this season is all about.
Rae and I stopped by Walmart on our way back into town tonight, because we thought of one last gift we needed to get. Funny how at 10 pm the parking lot was still jammed pack with vehicles. The store was basically a gong-show, with many of the shelves bare, and people scurrying about in attempts to get everything they need for the upcoming holiday. Rae and I calmly walked around the store and got what we needed, not really in a rush or anything. And as we were at the checkout I was observing people, and every single person in that store appeared to be totally stressed out...certainly not full of Christmas cheer.
And I felt sad. Christmas has lost its meaning in so many ways here. Sure, we hear the carols on the radio, but does anyone actually listen to the lyrics? How could you NOT know that this season is about the birth of Christ, it being played over and over again in the songs. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way...many people despise christmas for the pure fact that it has become something it was never meant to be.
I can't say I'm exempt from focusing on meaning other than the truth at Christmas. Although I can honestly say that I'm at the point where I get more from giving than receiving gifts, I still get chills when I watch christmasy movies, or hear some of my favorite carols being played, or go watch a choir sing, or even just stare at my christmas tree (which I just found out is illegal, by the way). And the baking of goodies...what a time!! These things are not necessarily bad, but again, don't really have much to do with Christ's birth.
I remember in years past, going to the Christmas Eve service, and hearing for the 100th time the story of Christ's coming to this world. And it would never cease to give me tingles, and my eyes well up with tears, imagining God coming to earth as a tiny baby, dependent on his parents for survival, who existed solely for setting an example of how to live, and died so that we may live that life. How does that story get old? How have we become so hardened? How can we fix this?
So I'm going to bed tonight, and picking up my bible to read the story over, and will pray that God will allow me to feel full of the joy, peace, hope, and love that this season is all about.
posted by Superjan @ 10:53 PM
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