So, when I was younger, my family seemed to struggle with the idea of what Christmas was supposed to celebrate. We did the tree and Santa, but not much of the first few chapters of Luke. We were struggling with a religious tradition that wanted to emphasize Christ throughout the year, not just on certain days. There was also a reactionary element to that tradition, wanting to distance itself from anything Roman.
Today we've more or less given in, and I'm okay with that. Truthfully, I find myself wanting more. I want a full blown Christmas, with readings from Isaiah and the magnificat. But Christmas alone seems awful hollow without diving in the anxiety and anticipation of Advent. And even that's not enough.
I say, if you're going to do Christmas, you have to do it all. Program your life around the times of year like this, where the church traditionally revisits important parts of her story. Let it redefine your calendar, your agenda. Christmas should be an experience of reliving the end of the exile, the promise to shepherds, the crowded inn, the visit of magi. Christmas should give an overwhelming sense that the Infinite has become finite, the Word became flesh. We should be humbled by the dance that is trinity coming into our home, and thrilled to join in.
The role of Christmas is to simultaneously fill us with humility and hope.
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