A woman was Christmas shopping with her two children. After hours of looking at toys and much else and hearing both her children ask for everything they saw, the three of them got on an elevator. She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season: pressure to go to every party, taste all the holiday food, get that perfect gift for every person, make sure not to forget anyone on our card list, and respond to everyone who sent us a card.
The elevator doors opened. A crowd was in it. She pushed her way in and dragged in her kids and bags of stuff. When the doors closed, she blurted out, “Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up and shot.”
From the back of the car everyone heard a calm voice respond, “We already crucified him.” For the rest of the trip down there was a tense silence in the elevator.
Have you ever heard anybody say, “I HAVE to do my Christmas shopping.” It sounds like a duty, and something is wrong with that picture. So what will happen if you simply don’t give gifts to people who have traditionally expected them? Many people will be relieved, because your gifts always made them feel obligated to give you something in return. Some people will be disappointed, because they have just been trading with you. So what have you really lost?
You can’t control what people think of you, but you could explain that all the shopping has begun to interfere with your celebrating the birth of Jesus. You could tell them that you don’t expect anything from them, either, but that you’re not telling them what to do.
God freely gave us his Son from a heart of love. What we all really want is to feel loved by people who care about us and enjoy being around us no matter what we do. Have you known love like that? God gives that kind of unconditional love. This year, receive the love of the One who started this whole Christmas thing.
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