That Christmas Thud

Jake and I were driving to his Mom's side of the family Christmas day and we got to talking about how the day was only halfway finished, but it felt like Christmas was already over. I feel the same way every year. Anyone with me? Then Jake found this article from Relevant magazine which really summed it up. 

I figure that you're more likely to read it if you don't have to go to a hyperlink, so here it is (complete with crazy-cool pictures of our Christmas tree, because as the article says, Christmas isn't over just yet!).

The Thud After Christmas

by Marcus Hathcock

As we pulled out of our driveway on our way to a family outing today, I switched on the car radio, curiously. For the past month, at least two of our local radio stations have been fully dedicated to the broadcast of Christmas carols and holiday classics. One radio station had the standards you've come to expect (and perhaps loathe); the other had some classics alongside artistic new music inspired by the birth of Christ.

When I switched on the radio, I didn't expect to hear those songs playing, and it was no surprise that both stations had instantly reverted back to their regular programming. It was as if Christmas never happened. No tapering down the carols, just a clean break. A thud.

There is a huge build-up to Christmas. Even before Halloween, the Christmas decor appears in the stores. From the lights and the decorations, to the gift-giving parties and cookies, you get this feeling that everything is moving towards something. You get the feeling that the world is getting ready for something big and mysterious.

What is it? Is it getting things? Is it the certain approach of high credit card bills in January? Is it being at least one pound heavier at the end of the holidays? Is it having cool photos to post to your Facebook page? There's gotta be a reason for doing all this other than the fact that "everybody's doing it" and that "we've always done it," right?

For those of us who know about the baby who was born in the livestock stable in backwoods Israel 2000+ years ago, we know why we do it. The lights signify the light that has come into our dark world. The red symbolizes the blood that baby would shed at 33 years of age. The green symbolizes the new life we all have when we put our faith in His name. His name is Jesus.

There was some build-up before Jesus was born—all those prophecies and the unlikely birth of His cousin, John the Baptist. But if you think about all the felt-board snapshots related to Christmas, they all are scenes from after Jesus' birth.

The days leading up to Jesus' birth were tumultuous. They were full of uncomfortable government-mandated travel, unsuccessful attempts to secure fairly sanitary sleeping quarters and lots of dirty looks. The day of Jesus' birth and the days after His birth, by contrast, were triumphant validations of the miracle.

Think about it. The skies exploded with angels praising God for Jesus' arrival. Shepherds came from isolated pastures in awe of the good news they just heard. Wealthy astrologer-scientists, called Magi, recognized the significance of the star in the sky and followed it to worship a baby king. They brought some pretty expensive baby gifts, too.

The promise of the Messiah was reason for joyous anticipation; The birth of the Messiah was reason for unparalleled worship.

So this leads me back to the radio in the car. What we've experienced here is a massive build-up of anticipation, followed by an abrupt halt. It's as if people are saying, "Something big is coming, something big is coming, something big is coming!" and then when the big thing comes, nobody talks about it afterward. They move on. No big deal. Thud.

Beyond the lack of Christmas songs on the radio today, some people are very strict about taking their decorations down on Dec. 26. There are no live Nativity scenes happening, no Christmas worship celebrations, no Christmas caroling. The masses move on.

Is it just me, or does Christmas seem like it's over before the end of Dec. 25? Is it that still, somehow, we've resolved in our hearts that the "big event" was creating piles of thin, tattered paper on our floors? Is it that once the presents are opened, there's little left to do but eat, clean up and sit zombie-like in front of a TV or movie screen as the day slips away?

Is that how they celebrated back in Bethlehem? No, the celebration started with Jesus' birth. It didn't end there.

The commercial focus on Christmas has dissolved what once was known as the 12 Days of Christmas. It's not just a song; for a long time people celebrated Christmas beginning with Christmas Day and ending on Epiphany, the orthodox holiday on Jan. 6 that celebrates the arrival of the Magi. Christmas, for many generations, was just the beginning.

I grew up in the Lutheran Church, and although my personal preference now leans toward a more charismatic style of worship, one of the things I appreciate in that denomination (and other similar mainline sects) is the liturgical calendar. They celebrate Advent leading up to Christmas, yes, and then they celebrate Christmas until Epiphany. This year, they will celebrate the First Sunday of Christmas, and the Second Sunday of Christmas (Jan. 1). While the rest of the world (and even my church) has ostensibly moved on, it's still Christmas there.

I feel this bizarre awkwardness in our culture after Christmas, especially between Dec. 26 and Dec. 31. Culturally we roll our eyes when we see ribbons and Christmas trees still decorating the mall during this week. Seeing a storefront window painted with "Merry Christmas" after the 25th seems akin to running into an ex-girlfriend or unexpectedly bumping into that acquaintance from high school who wants to "catch up" in 60 seconds or less. And, were Christmas songs still playing on my two radio stations, there would probably be massive complaints from listeners. I get it. They've heard them for too long. If they hear one more rendition of "Jingle Bell Rock" or "White Christmas," they're going to impale someone with a yule log. The problem is, in our society's commerce-driven push to make money early in the month, we've essentially front-loaded Christmas. We make it all about having our gifts/events/food/family ready for the big day, but the festivities end there. And yet, we wonder why by 6 p.m. Christmas night we feel a little empty.

The over-commercialization of Advent makes us all eager to move on from Christmas, without really getting a chance to process and personalize the birth of the King. At times, it's easier to seek a life-changing experience than it is to let the experience change our lives. We can get excited and worked up over big moments in our lives, but unless we let those big moments direct our lives, they're meaningless.

Merry Christmas, everyone. May you keep your trees up, sing "We Three Kings" and worship at the manger as long as you want.