What Makes A Great Christmas Celebration

Christmas season has always been my greatest time of the year since I was a child. It was a time we get to wear new clothes, go visiting friends and extended family members, eat very special meals that mum rarely prepares any other time of the year. The fun part was that I don't get to go to school till the following year. That meant I could afford to play for long periods and sleep late without any fear of waking up early the next day to prepare for school.

Celebrating Christmas as a child in the late 80's and 90's was always fun-filled. I remember that from the beginning of the month of December, following the harmattan that heralds the season, Christmas tunes and music would already be playing on air and in many homes, people would be busy with decorations and other preparations that go with the season. One would literally smell Christmas in the air. We grew up associating Christmas with new clothes, good food, plenty of drinks etc. As a child there was no Christmas without those things.

I remember one particular year that my parents could not provide any of those for us. Things were so bad that we were not able to afford to cook rice. And on top of that, mum was not feeling well. We were only able to share some bottles of Coca Cola drink with biscuits for Christmas that year.

Apparently, for many people Christmas seems to have lost its excitement and fulfillment as the year passes. We can say that this is largely due to the economic, political challenges and other issues that we face in our everyday living in our country. Because somewhere in our minds, like a child, we have associated Christmas with the ability to buy or sell, wear new clothes, travel without difficult to visit with families, vacate, etc.And when we are not able to do that with ease, we say that Christmas was 'bad' for that year.

I hear people say that Christmas is not what it used to be. And for many years I mentally agreed with that statement. I guess you too might have made such statement before. I wonder what really made Christmas Christmas then that it is no longer making Christmas now. Was it the political stability or economic growth we had that made Christmas worth celebrating back then? 

What makes Christmas Christmas? 

The truth is that Christmas has an intrinsic value of celebration, not because of how we are able to celebrate it but who we are celebrating. And it is independent of your ability to buy new clothes or cook special dishes.

"And the angel said unto them, fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11 KJV)

The joy of Christmas is not in the fanfare, decorations or activities, but in the fact that Jesus was born to bring salvation to all mankind. Jesus makes Christmas Christmas. Without Him there would be no Christmas to begin with. So Christmas will always be great because it is not about us but about Jesus.

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." (Luke 2:13-14 KJV)

So what does it take to have a great Christmas? The answer is simply Jesus! Jesus makes Christmas great any day, anytime, anywhere. Let him be born in your heart today.  And as we keep him as the reason for the season, we will always have not only a great but also a fulfilling Christmas no matter what.