|
Sand Dollar: Archives Index
|
Subscribe
|
|
| << December17, 2003 - Sand Dollar: Great Gifts for our Children |
December20, 2003 - Sand Dollar: "Here I am, Mama" >> |
|
I read something the other day about all of the stress and racing around during the Christmas season. The writer was complaining about the " trappings" of Christmas and expressed the feeling that Christmas had become too commercialized. "The whole thing is like a huge commercial to get people to spend their money. Except for going to church, Christmas is all Santa Claus, trees, candy canes, and shopping." As I pondered her words, I began to consider some of the traditions and " trappings" of the Christmas season. It seemed to me that all of the things we associate with this greatest holiday of the year were actually Christian based. We should remember these things as we close in on the special day this year. Consider these elements of Christmas tradition: Christmas Tree Legend has it that Martin Luther began the tradition of decorating trees to celebrate Christmas. One crisp Christmas Eve, about the year 1500, he was walking through snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of a group of small evergreens. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moonlight. When he got home, he set up a little fir tree indoors so he could share this story with his children. He decorated it with candles, which he lighted in honor of Christ's birth. The decorations have changed, and many Christmas trees are artificial today, but as we decorate our trees this year - Let us remember that the tree is lit in honor of Christ's birth. The Star atop the Christmas tree The star represents the Star of Bethlehem that guided the wisemen to Bethlehem over 2000 years ago. The Gospel according to Matthew mentions the star pointing to the birthplace of Christ. Let us enjoy the beauty of the star at the top of our Christmas trees??¦??¦??¦.and remember Exchanging Gifts According to the Bible, 3 kings (or wisemen) brought gifts to the Savior at the place of his birth. 33 years later, Jesus would give us the gift of life, the gift of salvation. When the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping begins to 'get you down', and wear you out; when trying to find the perfect gift for someone, you may remember that the whole idea of exchanging gifts is Biblical. Jesus said "What you do for the least of them, you do also for me." Therefore when you give a gift, you're giving it to Jesus, too. Candy Canes The legend is that the candy cane was fashioned in the shape of a "J" to represent Jesus. The color white was used to signify purity. Then three thin red stripes were added to symbolize the scourging Jesus received which allows us to be healed. A thicker red stripe was added to represent the blood shed by Christ so we could have eternal life. Some say that the shape could also represent the shepherd's staff. So when you place candy canes in your children's stockings this year, remember that this simple candy treat represents Jesus and His gift to us. Santa Claus There are those who feel that endorsing the idea of Santa Claus is "non- Christian", because - in part - the letters in "Santa" can be rearranged to spell "Satan". The letters in the word "Live" can be rearranged to spell "Evil" too, but I don't think living is a bad thing. The whole idea of Santa came about from "Saint Nicholas", a real person who distributed gifts to children and needy. St. Nicholas was born during the third century in the village of Patara, in what is called Turkey today. His parents died of an epidemic when he was very young, and he inherited a great fortune and became the Bishop of Myra. Obeying Jesus' words to "Sell what your own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to help the needy, the sick, and the suffering. The story is told of a poor man with three daughters. In those days, a young woman's father had to offer prospective husbands a dowry. The larger the dowry, the better the chance of a good husband. Without a dowry, a woman was unlikely to marry, and she would often be sold into slavery. As the story goes, on three separate occasions, a bag of gold was tossed through an open window and landed in a shoe or stocking drying above the fireplace. The bags of gold were used as dowries to find husbands for the three daughters. When you take photographs of your children sitting on Santa's lap at the mall this year, remember that Santa represents St. Nicholas who started the idea of Santa Claus because he followed the command of Jesus over 300 years earlier. So you see, even "Santa Claus" stems from Jesus, and we remember. It's been a long journey from the Fourth Century Bishop of Myra, St. Nicholas, who showed his devotion to God in extraordinary kindness and generosity, to America's jolly Santa Claus. However, if you peel back the accretions he is still Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, whose caring surprises continue to model true giving and faithfulness. In the United States there is growing interest in the original saint to help recover the spiritual dimension of this festive time. For indeed, St. Nicholas, lover of the poor and patron saint of children, is a model of how Christians are meant to live. (For more information, visit http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=38) So, you see, all of the "trappings" really are symbols of the "Reason for the Season" I hope that when you select that perfect tree this year and decorate it with lights and a star, you'll remember the reason we have Christmas trees. When you put candy canes in the stockings above the fireplace for your children, remember why we have candy canes and why we put them in stockings. My prayer for you is that when you exchange gifts with loves ones this year, you will remember Jesus' words and remember St. Nicholas giving gifts to people 1700 years ago. It may make the stress of crowds, choosing the perfect gift, and the hustle and bustle of shopping a bit easier to bear. When you're assembling toys by referring to directions that you don't understand in order to be "ready for Santa's visit", and placing the milk and cookies out for Santa, remember where the Santa tradition originated, and rejoice. Have a very merry Christmas this year - and every year - and??¦??¦??¦remember ?© 2003 Don Carroll |
|
| << December17, 2003 - Sand Dollar: Great Gifts for our Children |
December20, 2003 - Sand Dollar: "Here I am, Mama" >> |
|
Sand Dollar: Archives Index
|
Subscribe
|
|
|
Archives powered by Zinester's Mailing List Service
Details on Sand Dollar: |
Browse for more newsletters at Zinester's Ezine Directory
Managed by Zinester's Mailing List Management |