Christmas is a joyful season, but it always comes with some challenges.
The place of Christmas is often a question. Mary and Joseph ended up in Bethlehem when Jesus was born. They had gone there to pay taxes. Paying taxes is never fun, but it’s something we all have to do. The place they ended up in when Jesus was born was probably not their desired location to bear their first child, but they made the most of it.
Location trips up a lot of people at Christmas. Many have no choice. They will spend Christmas in a nursing home or jail. Many have no options. They may be too elderly or sick to travel. They may not have any place to go. If you have options, be thankful. If you have a place to spend Christmas, then this is one of your best gifts of all. Don’t fight about the place where you will spend Christmas. Make the best of wherever you end up and celebrate with whoever is around.
Christmas presents are often a source of stress. Gifts are expensive, and we often don’t know what to buy or how much to spend. You may have a lot of gifts to buy, or maybe you don’t have a single person for whom you’ll buy a gift. If you can afford to buy gifts and want to, then enjoy the opportunity. If finances are meager this year, be honest with yourself and others and say, “Our list and budget are very limited this year.” Don’t put yourself in financial jeopardy by spending money you don’t have. The greatest gift is the baby Jesus. Focusing on Him will bring more peace than a house filled with gifts.
The pageantry of Christmas often becomes work. How many lights can you string on your roof or around your shrubbery? I enjoy putting up lights on a warm day, but despise taking them down in January. Just remember, what goes up must come down eventually. Try to find a mild-weather day and you won’t feel like the Grinch.
The pressure of Christmas gets to a lot of people. People die in December. Loneliness takes over, and stress becomes paramount. People get depressed. Christmas should never be a time of loneliness, stress, or pressure, but it was a difficult time for Mary and Joseph. They were poor. Bringing a child into the world in a stable would not be considered an option for most of us. Traveling was a hassle and very difficult back then. While they were overjoyed with the baby Jesus, life’s circumstances were not easy. Later, they would flee to Egypt for the safety of their family, which added to their pressure.
The person of Christmas must be our focus in order to truly celebrate this season. Let’s not lose sight of the main character in the Christmas story. If we do, we will focus on the place, presents, pageantry, and pressures of Christmas, and miss out on the real joy that the heavenly host proclaimed to those shepherds watching their sheep: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men” (Luke 2:14).
