The Perfect Christmas

Newsletter article for December 1996

© 1996 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

The closer we get to Christmas the more pressure we feel to make preparations for “the Perfect Christmas.” Christmas is a special event, and we want to do whatever we can to make everything just right. We want to give the perfect gift to our loved ones. We want to prepare the perfect Christmas dinner for our family. We want the perfect decorations that will set the perfect mood to express our love and joy in the Christmas season.

It is ironic that in the quest for perfection many people put themselves under enormous stress. As a result of this stress, our relationships with our loved ones is also stressed, sometimes to a breaking point. For many people, what ought to be a joyful time to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus, and to share the tokens of our love with one another, instead becomes a dreaded time of harsh words, unfair accusations, and a lack of love and forgiveness.

Popular psychologists use the term “dysfunctional” to describe when family relationships move beyond the breaking point. Some people think that a “functional” family is one that never argues, but that is not true. There will be arguments in every family. Sometimes the family that has the occasional argument (and can settle it without fights and hard feelings) is better off than the family who never has an argument, but is always looking to “get even.” The key to dealing with arguments and stress in a non-destructive way is forgiveness.

Christmas is a stressful time of the year. Either there are so many things going on that it can be hard to keep on top of things, or else we may feel isolated and alone, like the world is passing us by. Either way we can be distracted from the true joy of Christmas, which is that God loved us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to be our savior.

If ever there was a perfect Christmas, then the first Christmas was NOT it. Mary and Joseph were forced to leave their home in Nazareth and travel at least 70 miles on foot to Bethlehem, even though Mary was nine months pregnant. When they got there the little town was so crowded that there was no place for them to stay, except a stable for animals. By nearly any measure, the circumstances of the birth of Jesus were not perfect. Yet, this is how God chose to bring our savior into the world. During His life on earth, Jesus did not enjoy the honor and glory befitting God, even though He is God. Instead, Jesus lived as one of us. Jesus went through the same types of troubles that we face in our lives, and at times He suffered worse indignities than many of us may ever face. Jesus did this because He loves us, and wants us to trust in Him for forgiveness and eternal salvation.

I am not writing this to make you feel guilty that on top of everything else you need to do more for Jesus. That’s not what Christmas is all about. We give gifts to one another because God gave us the gift of a Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus gave up his own life so that our sins could be forgiven and we could have eternal life. We forgive one another when they do us wrong because Jesus has forgiven a multitude of sins from each one of us.

This Christmas, whenever the stress and confusion start to wear you down, or when people get on your nerves, or even when things are going “perfectly,” remember that Jesus loves you, and He has forgiven you of all your sins. Jesus never promised that this life would be perfect, but He has promised that He will always love us, and will never abandon us. To Jesus Christ be all praise, honor, and glory, now and forever.