In a modern world driven by online aesthetics and the latest and greatest trends, it can be easy to feel pressured to live up to a certain standard of perfection. The perfect aesthetically pleasing home, car, outfits, family photos – the list goes on and on. And when our lives don’t live up to our expectations, we can become discouraged or even ungrateful. There is probably no time of year where this fact rings more true than the Christmas season. On top of all the other pressures we normally face on a daily basis, we now encounter the added pressure to give all the perfect gifts, host the best Christmas parties, have matching family outfits, bake all the cookies, and go do all the fun holiday activities. If we aren’t careful, it can become overwhelming and suck all the joy out of the season.
On the other hand, maybe there is something else lessening your enjoyment of Christmas that is beyond your control. Perhaps you’ve lost a loved one this year, suffered a heartbreak, are struggling financially or battling a health crisis. When you’re in the midst of a dark season, it can be difficult to get into “the Christmas spirit”. After all, how can you celebrate a joyful occasion when you don’t feel much joy? How can you enjoy “the most wonderful time of the year” when all you can see is the chaos and pain surrounding you?
What we so easily forget, though, is that, at its core, Christmas isn’t all sparkles and candy canes.
The root of Christmas is the manger.
Let’s put aside the trappings of our modern Christmas season for a moment and really think about its origin point. Picture this…
A young girl about to give birth without her family around to help.
A frightened husband who isn’t quite sure what to do.
A filthy stable reeking of animal dung.
A bed of straw.
Blood, sweat, and tears.
A screaming baby born into the night, swaddled, and nestled in a feeding trough.
That is about as imperfect a scenario as one could imagine.
And yet it is BEAUTIFUL at the same time! Arguably the most beautiful story ever told, aside from the story of that same baby’s eventual death on a cross and triumphant resurrection (another perfectly imperfect event, I might add).
At its core, Christmas is messy and raw. So why then do we expect this holiday to be so perfect now?
If you are feeling the pressure of perfection this holiday, I urge you to take a deep breath and give yourself permission to embrace the imperfections. And if you, like Mary and Joseph, are finding yourself in a less than ideal situation, facing pain, fear, and confusion this Christmas, remember that beauty can be found in even the ugliest places. Mary might have given birth in a smelly stable with nothing but a manger for her child to sleep in, but just look at what beauty came of that moment in time! Whatever your circumstance, God can bring beauty from it too.
Before we part ways for this Christmas season, I would like to leave you with these final thoughts from one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time: “Christmas is All in the Heart” by Steven Curtis Chapman. The first verse always gets me because it reminds me of when my husband and I were newlyweds, living in our (literal) tiny house that we first called home. We were so broke that first Christmas that our mothers felt sorry for us and gave us money so we could buy each other a few presents. It was humble and small and far from perfect, but it’s one of my favorite Christmas memories now. Even in that season of “small beginnings”, God was so good to us, and our Christmas was beautiful and special because we were together!
In a one-bedroom apartment
On the humble side of town
There stands a little Christmas tree
That looks a lot like Charlie Brown's
And underneath there's one little gift for him
And one little gift for her
After six months on the new job
They're still barely getting by
So in the way of decorations
There's nothing there to catch your eye
But both of them would be the first to say
"We're together and we're gonna have the merriest Christmas anyway"
'Cause Christmas is all in the heart
That's where the feeling starts
And like a fire inside, it touches every part
'Cause Christmas is all in the heart
And even if no white snow falls
That's all right because
The joy can still be found wherever you are
'Cause Christmas is all, all in the heart
~ “Christmas is All in the Heart”, Steven Curtis Chapman
~~~
May you and yours be blessed this Christmas and be filled with the true joy that comes from our Savior!
Photo by Matt Botsford on Unsplash
