Keeping Christ In Christmas

​It’s easy to see how Christmas has become a holiday focused heavily on consumerism and marketing over the years and it can be easy to dwell on this and feel an absence of Christ during his holiday. I’ve found that the best way to keep Christ in Christmas is by not being disappointed about the hustle and bustle of the season, but rather being our best selves and remembering to stop and reflect on if we are doing and listening to what Christ has told us to do.

These moments of reflection will help to focus our hearts and minds on the person Christ became so that we can continue to bring goodness, kindness, justice and love into our lives and the lives of others as well. The teachings of Christ are meant to be incorporated in our daily lives and we need to stop and recognize that life happens and sometimes we become too busy and overwhelmed and forget that we are students of the Lord. It’s important that as his students we incorporate and share his love and light always, especially at Christmas.

As our daughters get older, we want them to be aware that as Christians we need to carry out God’s work for the poor, the hungry and the oppressed. We want our girls to understand the fulfillment and love of giving to the needy. Teaching them the importance of charity at a young age will influence how they decide to give back to those in need for the rest of their lives.

Remembering to do and listen to what Christ tells us to do will help us bring some much needed light and love into the world during Christmas. We live in a diverse city and need to remember that not everyone shares the same religious beliefs, but realize that keeping Christ in Christmas has nothing to do with what others do and believe, but everything with who we choose to be. That is the best way for us to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.