Being in California during this season is a little strange to me. When I was in Claremont, it was different because I was always so busy that nothing around seemed to matter. Now that I have more time to notice things, it seems that Christmas in California lacks something. I find it funny that people can call this area home (I was telling this to someone at work today who replied, "I find it funny that you call Hawaii home"). That totally makes sense. But California seems like this place where people are just kinda hanging out. Maybe I think that because I'm just hanging out, but I don't know if I could ever make my home here.
So I've been feeling a little disillusioned about Christmas this year anyway. The whole idea of being pressured to buy people things that they want, and not being able to figure it out so you just get them something meaningless seems, hmm, meaningless. And I don't know the area so I don't know the stores, where to go for anything. At home you can go to Pearlridge and know what you're going to find there. I feel like I use Yahoo! yellowpages like a madwoman and it's getting a little tiring. And everything's so amazingly crowded and crazy.
Not being surrounded by Christian community makes it hard too. I miss things like Thanksgiving praise and Christmas fellowship meetings. At the same time, through this experience, I feel like I can relate with Jesus in his entrance into a world that didn't understand him, that scorned him. Not that I'm being scorned in any way, just feeling a little homeless/homesick. Jesus really left his home and "pitched his tent" with us. So that we could have a high priest who is familiar with our pains and our trials (I AM actually learning something from Hebrews). Anyway, more to come later. Been busy lately.
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6 comments:
Don't worry about finding the perfect gift for me Michelle. You don't have to give me anything.
I would probably feel the same way about finding the right stores in Santa Barbara except I pretty much just get things online anyway.
I'm glad that you are finding more ways to relate to Jesus. I think you may have hit the real meaning of the season.
-Philip
After I talked to you about this a few days ago, I was talking to someone else who mentioned that her family doesn't do the whole gift thing. Then she mentioned the "alternative Christmas" they have at Our Lady of the Assumption, where you can buy something for a poorer person and then give that gift in the name of someone else. That's really cool, but the words "alternative Christmas" also made me think of how my church has Christmas on January 6th/7th, cause we're on the old calender. I realized that I'm really blessed by that - December 25th can be the family/societal holiday (with plenty of extra reminders to make it a nice spiritual time), and then I have my time free to really focus on Christ. Not everyone has the same date option that I do, but we can still separate in our hearts - one "holiday season" for sharing gifts and being with family and friends, and then Christmas for the coming of our Lord.
I was actually talking to Rosey about that last week and told her that she was pretty lucky (I guess lucky's not the right word) to have 2 different dates to celebrate Christmas so that it could be more separated. When I think about it more though, I don't know if I would like it that way. I think it's kinda cool to have everything all mixed together, kinda like the whole experience of Christmas. You get out if it what you can. God works through it all. I guess that's just a different perspective.
the "whole Christmas experience" isn't something I'm very happy about at all. Christmas is supposed to be about Christ coming to be with us, and so much other stuff around Christmas obsures that fact. In the Oregonian there was this article about people who celebrate the Winter Solstice instead of Christmas, and there were multiple comments relating to "it's just so commercial, I didn't want my kids influenced by that". The idea that Christmas has become a bad influence, a commercially driven thing. That really really bothers me.
You're right that what it's turned into isn't good, but I think I learn so much by going through it, I think even though it's not focused on Christ's coming, as a Christian, it shows me more about who Christ is that He came to save people in this crappy place.
The American Christmas is certainly misses the mark by a long shot, but I don't think that's a reason for Christians to flee from Christmas. If anything, it should mean that we need to be more involved in our culture around Christmas. Not in the sense of following what America does, but rather leading out in a different direction. We should be the salt that helps bring out the true flavor of Christmas. Also, when you return to school, work, or wherever else after Christmas, and someone pops the question "How was your Christmas?" use it as an opportunity to share your faith. What better Christmas gift could you give someone than to help them understand the true importance of Christmas?
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