Jesus is the reason for the season. I haven’t seen that reminder around much this year, but we all know that we miss out on the most important part of Christmas if we get all tangled up in the tinsel. That being said, the glitz of decorations, lights, gifts, white Christmas wishing, music, parties, family gatherings, midnight church services, and even Santa Claus can direct our focus back to Jesus if we think about why they have become such an important part of this wonderful time of the year.

Gift giving, even as commercialized as it has become, reminds us of the joy of giving to those we love and honor. The wise men from the east honored Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Jesus paid with his life to give us the gift of eternal life. At its best, our gifts are a way of expressing love and honor to those we care about.

Lights represent the wonderful truth that Jesus is the light of the world. Turning off the overhead lights and plugging in the string of lights on the Christmas tree brings back that glow of wonder we felt when we saw the Christmas tree of our childhood glowing in the darkened living room. It is very similar to the glow of love we feel when we draw close to Jesus.

The Christmas tree itself tells us about Jesus if we know what to look for. The star on the top of the tree represents the star over the stable where Jesus was born. The evergreen tree represents eternal life, and the gifts under the tree bring us back again to the greatest gift of all—Jesus who gives eternal life.

Most of the Christmas music calls us to come and worship Christ, the newborn King. I’ll have to admit, a few of them like “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” are a bit of stretch, but they are exceptions.

Families gathered around the table--you may even have family gathered around two tables—remind us of the wedding feast of the bride (church) and the Bridegroom (Jesus) that is yet to come. If you are among the families who choose to eat snack foods on Christmas rather than a huge meal, you can remember that Jesus told Martha she didn’t need to be so concerned about all the kitchen details. It was Mary who had chosen the better way when she was drawn away from the kitchen to learn more from Jesus’ teachings.

The traveling we do at Christmas time reminds us of the trip to Bethlehem that Mary and Joseph made. It also reminds us of the love we hold in our hearts for the ones we are on our way to visit.

Christmas Eve church services remind us of the shepherds who were the first ones the angels invited to the stable to see and worship the newborn King on the night of His birth.

Santa Claus was a kind bishop who left dowry money for girls whose families could not afford a dowry. Eventually, this evolved into gifts for children, and the custom has grown into the hustle and bustle of shopping and exchanging gifts that we love being a part of today.

The tinsel? Well, now you’ve got me stumped, unless it and the bulbs that reflect the Christmas tree lights represent us who are meant to reflect the light and love that Jesus brought into our world. The caution to not get tangled up in the tinsel must mean that we aren’t to get tangled up in self-importance. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Either that or I’ve started overthinking things again!

We hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year coming!