Beautiful decors, colourful lights, huge sales, bustling cities; these are all elements of the Yuletide season — a time of the year universally celebrated. Festivity is a bit muffled this time around, and understandably so, given the times we’re in, yet it is undeniably evident that Christmas is in the air.
Christmas means different things to different people. Some regard it as a season to spend more time with family, some consider it is a season of gratitude, some believe it is a season of sharing and giving, and some others dedicate the season to celebrating the birth of Christ. One thing is common though — it is a special time.
My Christmas Story
Growing up, Christmas was one of the major highlights of every year and everyone in my family looked forward to it. With school on holidays and a new year in sight, the excitement was always on the high side. New clothes and shoes were a big part of the equation and a Christmas without those seemed incomplete. The food surely hits different on Christmas day, and the days that follow leading up to the new year were some of the most vibrant days of the year. Not to mention the numerous presents my siblings and I accumulated from older relatives and family friends.
In the last 4 years though, it has been a different story. Having moved away from home to study, Christmas for me has taken up features like the biting winter cold and high-intensity school work (yeah, I study on Christmas day!). In this part of the world, Christmas is officially celebrated on the 7th of January based on the Orthodox calendar, thus the 25th of December happens to be a regular schoolday/workday. Although the city does smell of Christmas, it isn’t all that worth anticipating especially with my family many miles away.
What Christmas Really Means To Me
What is the true meaning of Christmas?
There are a lot of different opinions as to the history and the evolution of Christmas, but I’ll not bore you with all of those as I consider them rather insignificant. I’ll only attempt to articulate what it means to me personally.
Beyond all the external expressions and outward paraphernalia affiliated with the season, the true essence of Christmas can be summarised in one word — LOVE — more specifically, in two words — GOD’S LOVE. A love that transcends all human comprehension. The truest and most genuine form of love ever known. The love that leaves the 99 secured sheep in pursuit of the one that is lost. An everlasting LOVE.
Jesus, An Expression of The Father’s Love
Man needed a saviour and God took the form of man to save humankind. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a woman, he did taste of our infirmity and eventually paid the ultimate sacrifice for our salvation. His sole mission was to reconcile the creation to the creator, and that He did at the cross. His birth marked the start of this glorious redemption story prophesied hundreds of years before. This expression of love is the foundation of the hope which we now proclaim. This, indeed, is what we celebrate. This is the true essence of Christmas.
“Jesus was God and man in one person, that God and man might be happy together again.”
-George Whitefield
The birth of Jesus is of great significance to all believers. It was a moment in history that changed the course of humanity. In fact, our current day calendar is based on His birth. 2020 is regarded as AD 2020 in full and the abbreviation AD was coined from the Latin term “Anno Domini“ which reads “anno Domini nostri Jesu Christi“ in full, and translates to “in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ”. A little Wiki info there:)
I once heard someone say, “Jesus is the sweetest Carol song ever sung” and that pretty much sums it up. He came into the scene and changed everything.
Nice write-up with plenty of sense embedded in it. Kudos 💯
It’s indeed a love story and Christmas is a whole vibe on its own.
Thank you so much!:)
2020 has been challenging to say the least for me and this has truly taken a toll on my spirit. In all honesty, I did anything but thrive during this time. So for me, Christmas means being able to celebrate without feeling the guilt of my non-achievement (p.s: don’t ever use this word, it obviously doesn’t exist but because my superpower is making up cool words, here we go). I was gonna say spending time with my family and giving and all of that goody two shoes stuff but in retrospect, I spent my year cooped up with my family, so that doesn’t count. Basically, it’s just the Christmas spirit for me, bringing cheer to my life.
This is what Christmas means to me this year.