That's Christmas to Me

Good morning everyone!  It's two days until Christmas and I'm proud to say that I actually finished my shopping for my family.  Friends...uh...different story, but I finished my family, and that was my goal.  I'm a chronic procrastinator.  Whatever.

So I wanted to write about Christmas, obviously, because it is only two days away and I'm thinking about it.  I'm going to tell you about my journey through Christmas preparations and how I'm handling the Christmas hype.  Enjoy. :)

I hate Christmas.

Before you freak out that I'm the Grinch reincarnate, let me explain.  I hate Christmas because it's all hype and no meaning.  I work in one of the largest retailers in the United States.  There's a lot of Christmas hype, people treating me like crap because they procrastinated their shopping and they're in a hurry, because they didn't get the deal they wanted and that shirt is $2.00 more than what they thought.  All the while I have to be polite, kind, smile, and then pitch them a credit card at the end.  Is it any wonder that I come home after a month and say "I wish Christmas were over"?

At work I have to act excited about Christmas, going to great lengths to help people disguise gifts, try to get discounts for them that my computer system will accept, and no matter how badly they treat me, smile and say "Merry Christmas" as they're walking away.  I lost what is so important about Christmas.

Now after three-four weeks of being indoctrinated by retail, I went to church on Sunday with my same attitude about Christmas.  That's great, right? Going to church while hating Christmas--the holiday that originally celebrates the birth of Christ.  Fantastic.  Way to go Ali.  Whatever.

You all should know that I play violin.  Well, I play in the church band every other month, and I just happened to land in December this year.  So I have to play the Christmas carols, sing them, etc.  Not much enthusiasm until last Sunday.  Our band had a two-hour rehearsal for the Christmas Eve service, and I walked out of that rehearsal falling in love with the magic of Christmas once again.  What happened?  I got my head out of retail and focused my eyes on what Christmas means to me.

Christmas is a holiday that most people blow out of proportion, buying hundreds of dollars worth of gifts, decorations, and food.  To some people, it's all about the presents.  Not that there's anything inherently wrong with giving gifts, of course, but I would contend that that takes a secondary priority.  Christmas, as I stated earlier, was a holiday that was originally intended to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God, who was sent to the earth to live as a man and eventually die to save mankind from the wrath of God.  When I was playing on Sunday the music penetrated my heart and allowed the lyrics to speak to me.  I suddenly realized that the reason I didn't hate Christmas.  I hated what Christmas has become.  Once I saw that Christmas didn't have to be all hype and no meaning I got really excited about Christmas again.

Now I go into work and I can say "Merry Christmas" with sincerity because I know now that I'm celebrating the birth of a savior and not just another holiday.  And I will wish all my readers a Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate.  :)