The Essential Christmas

We’ve had another wonderful Christmas. It’s strange – no matter how hectic and overwhelming it is getting ready for Christmas, when the main event finally arrives, the joy and beauty of Christmas always returns. When every gift is bought and wrapped, when every decoration is hung, when the house is clean and the food is cooked, a wonderful sense of peace envelops me, and I am finally able to reflect quietly on what this time of year is really all about.

The magic first reappeared this year the night we went to hear John Berry’s Christmas concert with Sean and Misty. Berry’s beautiful, rich, and powerful voice is impossible to put into words. The man can sing. I’ve heard this concert five times now, and it never gets old. What makes the concert really special is knowing that John Berry is truly a godly man; he attends our church, and I know when he talks about the real meaning of Christmas, he’s not just putting on a show. Hearing him sing “O Holy Night” never fails to thrill me. As Doug and I passed loving glances at each other, I knew he was feeling the same joy I felt. This year John finished the concert with a song I didn’t know, one called “Love is a Cross.” It was a beautiful song with a powerful message, but what made it really special was the passion with which he sang it.

The next morning, we went to church and were surprised to get an encore of the previous night’s performance. The community concert was two parts – the first half was country, and the second half was all Christmas music. Our Sunday morning service was a repeat of the second half of the concert. Berry’s entire band was there for it. This had not been publicized at all; I guess they didn’t want the church to be overwhelmed by his fans.

Before he sang, Pastor Carlos said a few words about the music of Christmas. He said if he could get rid of some of the hoopla that surrounds Christmas, one thing he would certainly keep is the music. As often happens in church, I took that thought and ran with it. What would Christmas be like if we could just keep the really important things and discard the rest, I wondered. What is the essential Christmas?

One thing that is not essential is the gift exchange. I’m sure I would not have thought this as a child, or even as a young adult, but I see things differently now. Somehow we have taken the lovely concept of giving and turned it into a commercialized nightmare of buy, buy, buy, and spend, spend, spend. The entire focus of Christmas seems to be on the shopping now. Celebrating the birth of Christ is like an afterthought, meaningful only to us politically incorrect religious fundamentalists, and even we are guilty of reducing it to trite sayings like “Jesus is the reason for the season.” Instead of focusing on Jesus, we all stress ourselves out spending more than we can afford and running up our credit card bills because we feel pressured to give impressive gifts to everyone we know. It’s insane.

It also is not essential to attend every party, gathering, and event that takes place in December. Why we think we have to squeeze our entire social life into one month of the year is beyond me. There are simply too many places to go and things to do. What is essential is choosing the most important and forgetting the rest.

So what is most important? Like Carlos, I would keep the music. The music keeps me focused on what Christmas is really all about. It also calms me. Just as lullabies soothe a crying baby, Christmas carols sooth this stressed-out adult. With music, we are able to express what we find difficult to say in words. With our music, we worship the Christ of Christmas.

Another essential for me is going to church on the Sunday before Christmas. It’s peaceful, and again, it puts the focus back where it belongs. And it’s restful; the work is done, and we can just sit and listen to a Christmas message that is real – so different from the world’s commercialized version.

A definite essential of Christmas is being with family and friends, the people I care about most. I look forward to a quiet get-together with our little group of friends. We eat and exchange small gifts. This year we laughed ourselves silly playing a game of Christmas charades. I also enjoyed having lunch with two of my closest friends.

Sean and Misty came over and spent the night before Christmas Eve morning. We had a simple supper and enjoyed sitting in front of the fire, looking at the lights on the tree. I love the feeling of lying down in bed at night knowing that all my family is safe under my roof. The next morning, the four of us, joined by our grandpuppy Dixie, opened our gifts to each other. As much as I hate the shopping, I have to admit it is fun to give my children gifts I know they like.

After our small family Christmas, we went to Doug’s parents and joined the rest of his family, 17 of us, and had a huge meal and opened gifts again. The next morning, Christmas morning, we went to my sister Mary Jane’s and had another huge meal and opened even more gifts. That afternoon we rode four-wheelers and watched a Christmas movie. The day was fun and relaxing.

Now I am at my parent’s home in the mountains – soon to be our home as well. My sisters are coming up to join us today, and there will be more good times with family. So there you have the essential Christmas – being with family and friends; and church and music to remind us of what the season is really all about. Throw in some good food and holiday decorations, and you’ve got the makings of the perfect Christmas!