Hype & a Holiday Hangover

The hype is over. You can breathe now.

All your last minute shopping is finished. Gifts have been gifted, your parties have been attended and the leftovers are starting to smell funny. And so, the holiday hangover sets in. Here we are, left with a trashcan overflowing with crumpled red and green paper, a few extra pounds and an empty wallet.

It's over. That's it. No more Santa Clause and red suits. The lights will start to come down and the Christmas carols have silenced. So I ask, the countdowns and sales and shopping have led up to what? The realization of overspending when you swore you wouldn't, or that you got a gift that isn't quite as cool as you thought it'd be, or maybe you didn't get as much as you'd expected...We opened all these presents and still feel like we don't have anything.

I think Christmas can leave many feeling empty. Our culture just places so much value in it. There's this commercial build up of gifts, food, lights and "stuff" yet when it's all over why do we feel like the reindeer just plowed us over and we landed in their crap?

Even the whole "Christmas Eve Service" seems like another check off the 'to-do list' for the season. I know personally my thoughts are often elsewhere and I doubt I am the only guilty party. My head wanders as my mouth moves to “Hark the Harold angels sing”... what gifts did I forget... what are we eating when we get home... these carols are so overplayed...I swear I've heard this Jesus-Mary-Joseph birth story at least 10 times this month.

Instead of a mind in worship to the fact that I have hope and purpose because of Christ's birth all those years ago, I am running through a list of unimportant, invaluable "stuff" in my head.

I walked on the beach the night before Christmas Eve and thought about this; thought about all the hype surrounding this holiday and the lack of hype surrounding the real miracle of the season. It was the first time I'd taken a deep breath in over a month. It was the first time I sat and thought about Jesus, his birth, his life and his sacrifice. A child that was born to die.

Yet his birth is so obscured by a culture in which the value of Christmas revolves around gift exchanges, shopping obsession, parties and bonuses.

Stuff.

Instead of a child that gives us purpose in life, December is about stuff. Ironically, Jesus told the disciples not to collect "things" that moths can eat and rust will destroy. Instead, he tells them to be dedicated to the things with eternal value, to store up treasure in heaven.

Moths and rust. That's what our "stuff" is to Jesus. The desires of your heart define what you put your value in. What have you desired lately?

I so wish I spent more of last month thanking God for the birth of Christ. Jesus isn't just "the reason for the season"-- he is the reason for life. And yes, we should keep "Christ" in Christmas but more importantly; Christ should be the purpose behind every aspect of our life.

The hype is over; reality has arrived. Jesus is a few days old now and is looking for some attention. Come back to reality. Forget the stuff. Remember the baby lying in the manger born to save you.

Despite the hype of the holiday; everyday, we are offered life-giving grace and redemption because of Jesus. Now that is something of value. 2011 is calling…It's a new year, a chance for a new start: what "stuff" do you need to leave behind?