More than one person asked me “What do you want for Christmas?” I took my grandson to see Santa, and Santa asked him the same thing. I began to think that this is perhaps the most frequently asked question during the Christmas holiday season.
We answer the question by naming some material item we want. How else would we answer; we live in a very materialistic culture. After Christmas is over we make conversation by asking, “What did you get for Christmas,” then we name what we got.
Maybe the Christ of Christmas should be higher on our list.
Isn’t Christmas supposed to be about celebrating Jesus and his coming into the world to save us from the things that do not ultimately satisfy, things that do not lead to a happy life? But let’s not be too hasty to criticize the materialism of Christmas. In a world where all of us experience disturbing problems and sufferings, the peaceful and joyous spirit of Christmas does give people a welcome break from their problems. Unfortunately, it does nothing to help us overcome our problems and sufferings because when the happy holidays are over, the troubles are still there. Since that is the case, it might do us well to consider more deeply what we want for Christmas. Maybe the Christ of Christmas should be higher on our list.
Have you ever heard anyone say, ‘I want peace of mind to calm my worries and anxieties’, or ‘what I want is to have my broken relationships put back together?’ Aren’t