A Word from our Sponsor: Putting Christ back in Christmas
Dear readers,
As we approach the height of the Christmas season, I would like to take a brief departure to treat of a subject only tangentially but not entirely unrelated to our primary focus on Christian political economy, and I ask your indulgence. This has to do with the true meaning of Christmas, and it is not a scholarly exercise, but comes from the heart. I thank you for your indulgence in this brief but hopefully inspired departure from my usual academic approach on this blog.
The traditional Christian celebration of Christmas is a far cry from the commercialized version promoted today. Yes, there are clear economic reasons why “Christmas spending” is part and parcel of the current economic order, and this by itself should give us pause. The commercialization of Christmas is a major blow against the Christian spirit itself. We marvel at the extravagant displays at some homes of Christmas lighting and other displays, but what is the origin of this tradition? The lights in the windows of Christian homes in earlier times were an advertisement to Christian sojourners that hospitality was available within for those who were in need of it. If a poor or destitute person were passing by a Christian home displaying this symbol he or she could be sure of a warm reception and a temporary respite from winter’s harsh aggravation of his or her condition. A warm reception, a sharing of food and shelter, were assured by the home owner. And this is in keeping with the most important of Christian tradition of charity and hospitality to the needy.
Contrast this, if you will, with the giving of extravagant gifts to one’s own equally comfortable family members, or worse, to one’s “betters” as a way of inveigling favor. What do such practices have to do with the spirit of Christmas? There is a priceless gift given to us by Jesus which we celebrate in our hearts at Christmas, and no materialistic rituals can ever substitute for it. Jesus is the reason for the season, goes the wonderful saying, and that’s a fact. Christmastime is the time above all others when we ought to feel that wonderful charitable love for others that is the essence of the Christian Way, and to exercise it accordingly. That is what the legendary St. Nicholas did, from whom the name of the commercialized “Santa Claus” is derived. He gave useful gifts to the children of his impoverished neighbors. That was the original understanding of the Christmas spirit, and we would do well carry it on.
We cannot do that by celebrating Christmas in what has become the tradition of the commercialized West. There is certainly a time and a place for lateral gift-giving...it is a normal and healthy part of any positive relationship, whether familial or among friends. But Christmas is a time to give to those who lack, not those who already enjoy sufficient material comfort. All of us need the most important gift that Jesus , through his mission, imparted to all of us, the gift of giving hearts, that are attuned to those in need. That feeling of universal love, which Jesus ignited in those who follow him, expresses itself in true charity, which is never condescending but always a recognition of giving their due to those deprived by our current unjust economic order. What can possibly have more value than this, what gift can match it? This gift is priceless beyond measure, and those who have received it never fail to acknowledge its paramount value, and to express it through true Christian charity. The true meaning of Christmas, then, is in imitating the Christ whose birthday we celebrate in providing for those who are unable to provide for themselves, and affirming the universality of the Christian family.
I appeal to all my Christian readers: do not deprive yourselves of this most important register of the Christmas season by accepting the sorry substitute of the true Christmas season, commercialized Christmas. It is a kind of blasphemy. You can go Christmas shopping for those who are not in material need and hear the loudspeakers playing Christmas music, but this is a kind of travesty because when you closely examine the lyrics of the best of the Christmas carols, you realize that Christmas classically celebrated something much different from the exchange of gifts between those who are not in economic need, and was about something much deeper and much more precious. I pray that all my readers will be blessed by the true spirit of Christmas this Christmas season, and I look forward to continuing our series on Christian political economy in the near future. God bless you all, and Merry Christian Christmas!