When does Christmas happen?

Youth Ministry Specialist Molly Beck Dean shared this reflection from Lisa Daross, a youth worker in our synod and a member of Synod Council:

He HADN’T stopped Christmas from coming. IT CAME! Somehow or other, it came just the same!
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before…maybe Christmas….perhaps…means a little bit more. — From How the Grinch Stole Christmas, by Dr. Seuss

I was cruising Facebook today and saw a friend’s status update. It was this: “is getting depressed knowing that Christmas is soon and I won’t even know it happened.” Wow. I messaged him, and it turns out he’s having knee surgery on December 18th, and he’ll be pretty much out of it for at least a month. Could be worse. But it got me wondering….

How do you know Christmas “happened”? I asked this question at Synod Council tonight, just to see what thoughts some of the leaders of our synod had. One person talked about a special food his grandmother always made…eating that food really made it “Christmas” for him. It was about his loving family and their special traditions. Another person talked about the angel tree at his church – where people took a nametag and bought gifts for that person. Watching the gifts given to strangers pile up in the lobby of the church made it real that year for him. A third person talked about the year her father died right before Christmas. She said, the family talked about whether to take down the Christmas decorations and nativity scenes, because they were all grieving and just didn’t feel like partying. But in the end, they remembered that even in the midst of their sadness, Jesus was still born, and they celebrated the Light of the world through their darkness. Now every year, as she puts up her nativity scenes, she remembers.

How will they know Christmas is happening? Some will know because carolers came to their doors. Some will know because family visited. Some will receive cards, maybe with an update letter, and feel a connection to the sender. Some will look at mountains of gifts, realizing they received everything on their Christmas wish list. Some will receive items from unknown “elves” who donated to Toys for Tots. Some will receive nothing, and parents will be sad again because they just couldn’t afford to put food on the table and buy presents, too. Some will have been awake, maybe at church, to hear the stroke of midnight between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and some will know because their kids are waking them up way too early. (Let your parents sleep in this year, you guys!) Some will know it’s Christmas because they received a meal of turkey and cranberries at the homeless shelter, rather than “the usual”. Some will know because it’s the day they put baby Jesus in the manger, some will light the center candle in the Advent wreath. Some will sing Happy Birthday to Jesus, and some will not give any thought to what they’re celebrating beyond presents to open and “goodwill toward men.”

How do we know Christmas is happening? As faithful people, we know that Christmas is much more than a single day to celebrate Jesus’ birth. We know that Christmas, God’s Love come down to us in human form, happens every day! My pastor said to me today, when you hold the Word of God in your hands, you’re holding Christmas. When you hold the bread and wine at Communion, you’re holding Christmas. Christmas is feeling and sharing God’s Love every day of the year. It might sound strange to say you celebrate Christmas in the middle of July, but when you love your neighbor, that’s exactly what you’re doing! How can YOU make Christmas happen for someone else?

This year, I pray that Christmas “happens” for you on more than just December 25. Even during the times you feel like you’re totally in the dark, I pray that “somehow or other”, Christmas will come just the same.