Each year, we are bombarded with idyllic images of the holidays. Visions of shiny presents. Fantasies of joyful family reunions. Holiday soundtracks piped into every store. Glittering Christmas displays that started before Halloween. Many are having a blast at holiday parties or sipping cocoa with loved ones by a crackling fire.

And then, there’s the rest of us.

Most years that’s me. I am one of those people that believes every holiday has its time and place on the calendar. The end of the spooky season does not mark the beginning of “blast my Christmas music as loud as I can” season.

I literally bristle when I see/hear anything Christmas oriented before Thanksgiving. I’m sure you can imagine how it makes me feel when Christmas makes an appearance as early as July. Just ask my grandkids what happens when I hear Christmas music before the day after Thanksgiving!

This year I saw commercials for Black Friday sales that started the first week of November. So, what have we come to? Why can’t we just take one holiday event at a time? Can’t we take things in the proper order? Can’t we understand that we shouldn’t skip ahead?

The Message

I’m sure some of you remember that ancient time period when the After-Thanksgiving sales were actually after Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful time. We prepared for family dinners, enjoyed time with family, and then woke up early the next morning to go fight a woman in a bubblegum pink tracksuit for the new Cabbage Patch Dolls or Pound Puppies.

Yes, the world is rushing to Christmas; but Christmas doesn’t actually get here any sooner. The anticipation of the day is so thick it can be cut with a knife. But what is the real message here?

How many of us even celebrate Christ during the rest of the year? How many of us remember to truly celebrate Him during the holiday season? Christmas in America is so commercialized; defined by elaborately decorated trees, secular movies, and classic songs redone by Father Christmas himself, Michael Bublé. Sure, perhaps we throw in an extra church service here or there, and devote more time to serving others, but are we actually using this holiday to grow closer to God?

Yeah, I went there, but that conversation is for another time.

Stilling The Noise

T’is the season for being weary! Hands up everyone who is weary! Apart from the fact that there is so much to be done, the news is full not so much of glad-tidings but of tales of woe. Everywhere we turn, the media is doing its level best to instill fear into our hearts, rather than tidings of comfort and joy.

Sure, we can turn off our devices in the hope that we can avoid the bad tidings. But then, we have our own bad news to deal with, quarrelsome families, troublesome friends, sick or dying loved ones, the day-to-day grind of making a living, and our own personal angst and insecurities.

Christmas is fast approaching. We’re often overwhelmed with all that has to be done and all the expectations of the season. You may find that you wonder as you wander if there will ever be time for that silent night where you hear angels sing or rest like a merry gentleman!

Christmas sounds like chaos precisely because it is in the midst of chaos that we encounter He who can be found in all the muck and the mire, right smack dab in the midst of our chaos. For not only do we live, and move, and have our being, in Him. He works in, with, through, and beyond us, in all of our chaos; constantly creating hope in the midst of despair, creating justice in the midst of injustice, offering compassion, kindness, and above all love.

We are not alone in the chaos. There is hope for the world, and nothing, not the chaos, not the noise, not the bad tidings, not the pain, not the hatred, not the loneliness, not the indifference, not the injustice, not the greed, not even death shall overcome us.

Perhaps by embracing rather than trying to still the chaos is actually the best way to hear the true sounds of Christmas. Let’s remember the chaos generated more than 2,000 years ago:

The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” – Luke 2:10-11

I know this next lyrical message is a repeat from last year’s “holiday posts” but it’s still very relevant. Many, many moons ago I discovered this amazing song that helps me get through it all a little better.

I have always loved Amy Grant and her music. And this is my gift for you today. I encourage you to put aside any distractions, sit back, close your eyes and just listen to “I Need A Silent Night”…

The real message of Christmas is that God came to Earth, and we’re not alone. When we get hold of that message, all other things won’t matter as much as they used to. If we focus on what it’s really about, it becomes so much more meaningful.

Thanks for reading this week’s “Tuesday Tip”. Keep an eye out for a new message next week. Click “Follow Me” to stay in touch. I hope you have a wonderful week!