How can you remember Jesus at Christmas, even if Christmas is challenging? As Christians, we can get lost in everything around Christmas with the hustle and bustle of gift shopping, the freshness of Thanksgiving being over, and the everyday busyness of life.
Side note: You can argue with me later about if you put a star or an angel on top of your tree!
For some, Christmas is just a hard season. But remembering Jesus and making new memories is possible, especially for former foster youth or individuals who have recently lost a loved one or had a trauma occur.
So, if you want to remember Jesus this Christmas, read on.
Christ Is The Reason For Christmas
A few years ago, I was driving by one our local homeless shelter on Christmas Day. All the guests seemed happy, cheerful, and excited. I was very familiar with this shelter due to my social work experience.
I would also like to note that I believe this shelter did a fantastic job at making the guests (individuals experiencing homelessness) feel like family and like they had a home.
These guests were the happiest I have ever seen. I took note of this as I drove home that day.
I thought to myself, what changed for them? What did they have that we do not?
The answer is straightforward: They remembered the reason for Christmas.
They recognized that Christ is the reason for Christmas.
They didn’t have a traditional home, a traditional job, or a conventional family to call their own, but they had Jesus.
Their memories of their past still hurt them; their situations hadn’t drastically changed due to Christmas, and they didn’t leave the shelter that day in a big home with 300 acres of land, a million dollars in the bank, and a Toyota 4Runner waiting for them.
No, they had none of that, but they did have Jesus. They remembered the real meaning of Christmas.
The real meaning of Christmas is remembering Jesus.
Remembering Jesus At Christmas.
He was born and came to a human form to save us!
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
That’s the real meaning of Christmas.
Traditions Around Christmas
The guests made new memories, remembered the old, and changed their perspective. They were tweaking their traditions around Christmas, which I think is necessary when creating new memories if you have experienced trauma, recently lost a loved one, or have a fractured family like mine.
Around Christmas, I get family pictures with my dog by Jordan Harper Photography, and this will be the second year we will complete this tradition. It’s fun to reflect on the year and how God has been faithful to us.
But I know the time will come when this tradition will change. There will be a time when we add some extra faces, and Jake (my dog) won’t be on this side of Heaven, but making new memories and remembering the old is a great way to remember Jesus this Christmas.
Your family may do something similar. You could get the photos taken for Christmas cards to see how much your children have grown. You may also have noticed that your laugh lines seem more noticeable than the prior year (girl, me too!), but the picture reflects God’s grace in you and your family’s life.
Just like the guests at the shelter, who were making new memories out of old ones, so was I.
So whether this Christmas is a challenging one for you or filled with new memories, our perspective around Christmas matters. But more importantly, remember Jesus is the reason for Christmas, not the gifts under the tree, the home you live in, or the unfortunate fractured relationship you have with your love ones.
What needs remembering is that Jesus is Christmas.
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Blessings,
Ashley Marie
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