Yeah, I don't hate hate him like I'd burn down every single thing referring to him. I just dislike the fictional guy. Now, before you go on thinking, "Wow, this girl must be the female version of Bah-Humbug Scrooge," first let me explain. This post, after all, is my rant on this world's Christmas.
I remember when my mom and I were shopping for Christmas decorations to be given away. She kept picking up Santa decors, and I kept putting them back. I also get so annoyed when I see that the old guy is in almost every Christmas movie or TV special. And then the "Christmas songs" come, many of them being about this jolly old fellow visiting you in the middle of the night, or maybe even kissing your mom.
Thinking about these things now, I JUST CAN'T STAND IT!
But the reason I really get annoyed when I see this "jolly old fellow" is because I hate that he's the one getting the limelight during the season that is never and will never be about him.
We all know what Christmas really is. (Tell me that you don't know and I will hit you back to the North Pole.)
Really, we all know that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. But maybe you don't understand how important this fact really is. Because Christmas is a lot more than basically being Jesus' birthday party.
It's a celebration for the great love of God that was shown through the birth of Jesus Christ. The world is a wicked and evil place. We are all just tiny filthy specks of dust, and all evil and wicked as well. We all deserve to be nailed to a cross. We all deserve to suffer and be tortured for all the evil things we have done and will do.
But because of God's great love and grace for mankind, he didn't want us to suffer. He didn't want us to be punished. That's why He gave his own Son, Jesus Christ, to be our substitute. He sent his own Son to suffer and die on a cross, just so we--yes, you and me--wouldn't have to experience the same pain and torture.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son... (John 3:16)
It should have been me and you on that cross, but God sent Jesus to take our place on the cross, even though we are all nothing compared to him.
We are the ones who did Him wrong, yet He was the one who made a way for us to avoid the punishment we deserve, up to the point of letting his Son die for us. That's how amazing the love of God is.
And Christmas is the celebration of this amazing love.
It's about remembering and celebrating this amazing grace that God gave us.
That's why during Christmas (or New Year's Eve) I make a list of the things I'm thankful for the year. By the end of the list, I'm reminded of the amazing grace of God in my life.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is why I find it absolutely annoying that this old fictional guy gets all the attention when this season is so much bigger than him. Did he save the world from ultimate destruction? Did he die for anyone? Did he do anything at all?! Nope. The guy's not even real. Yet people are acting like he discovered the cure for cancer and gave it away for free.
He's just some character who sees you when you're sleeping and knows when you're awake. Isn't that creepy enough?!
But well, enough hate on Santa. How about those "Christmas songs" that are actually just romance songs with the word "Christmas" in it? Or even about wanting someone for Christmas? Or all those incoming posts and statuses about being "single on Christmas Day. :("
So what?! Whether you have a date or not, Jesus still came to save mankind--that's enough reason to rejoice and celebrate.
Basically, I dislike a lot of "Christmassy" things. BUT I DON'T HATE CHRISTMAS! I just dislike everything that takes away the whole meaning of Christmas.
Christmas is not about Santa Claus. It's not about kids. It's not about the gifts. It's not even about giving.
There's a reason why we call it Christmas, and not Santamas, or Kidsmas.
Remember that CHRIST will always always be in CHRISTMAS.
