How Jesus saves Christmas

Christmas is the time of year when we hear lots of conflicting messages about why we celebrate Christmas at all. Some call it a special time of year, though the “why” isn’t really explored. Others go on the offense, reminding everyone that Jesus is the reason for the season. And then there are the folks who really just want to keep their head down, take a nap, and get through the holidays.[1. I’m one of these.]

I know for a lot of people the Christmas season brings up a great deal of interpersonal drama: fears of family conflict, disappointing everyone asking for that last minute donation, and whether or not we’ve really been good enough to deserve a present from Santa this year.[2. We don’t do Santa in our house.]

A few years ago, I wrote a series of Christmas posts exploring how Jesus died to save us from all these things. How the gospel matters to us, especially during “the most wonderful time of the year.”

• Jesus died to save you from Christmas Karma
• Jesus died to save you from guilt-driven generosity
• Jesus died to save you from the perfect Christmas

Rereading these after a number of years has been very helpful to me because it’s so easy to fall into these traps. To teach our kids that behavior is the ultimate standard. That I should let guilt determine my giving habits. That I have to compete with others on how to have the happiest Christmas. But it’s all bunk. Jesus died to save me from all that. He died to save you from all that, too. I hope these three posts from an older series will be a helpful encouragement as you prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus with your loved ones.