It is time again to celebrate Christmas materialism. Every year there tends to be a slew of articles, blogs and posts lamenting the materialism of Christmas, saying we should return to the real meaning of Christmas. As the famous Grinch asks, does Christmas come from a store?
The consumerism and commercialization of Christmas tends to blind us from the importance of why Christians celebrate Christmas. Yet, those who want to spiritualize Christmas and set it apart from material and daily living also miss the most important part Christmas.
Because Christmas is all about material. It celebrates God becoming flesh (material) to be with us in our daily lives. Christmas is not about moving away from our normal reality and transporting us back to the manager 2,000 years ago. Rather, Christmas is about finding Jesus in the eyes of your son as he makes ornaments at church. It is about knowing God is with us as we look into the eyes of our spouses. Yes, the commercialization of Christmas is a delusion that makes us lose focus on the meaning of Christmas, but so are the spiritualizers who want us to think of heavenly things. God came to us a baby and is with us still in the birth of our own children. God is with us as we are with others. Yes, Santa is a mythical figure who teaches us the salvation of getting things by being good little boys and girls. But let us not forget that in Jesus we have a flesh and blood being who is God and is with us throughout our lives making the turkey taste sweeter, the love of our friends and family brighter and creating a bridge to others in love.
For on Christmas, God has become flesh and blood, so all has changed and all living has become sacred. Remember this as you look into the eyes of children, grandparents and everyone you meet. God is with us… let us rejoice.
