i have issues with holidaymas.

i've debated for over a week about whether or not to post what's been on my mind, but i really feel led to. i pray that it doesn't offend anyone but that it speaks to your hearts & makes you take a step back from the holiday chaos and really consider what it is you're doing all this for.

i've always said i have issues with Christmas, but really - i don't have issues with Christmas...i have issues with what Christmas has turned into: holidaymas. or rather, holiday-MESS. it's not about Christ. christians got all upset last year when the cashiers at wal-mart started saying "happy holidays" rather than merry Christmas but we're not showing them that december 25th should be about Christ anyway so what should we expect. stop getting mad at others for taking Christ out of Christmas - they learned it from you. they learned it from us.

i've never understood Christmas presents. don't get me wrong, i LOVE santa & all the memories i have growing up of 4am Christmas mornings. Christmas eve rolled around and my sister always built me a tent to sleep in. i'd wake up 2 hours later and RUN to my sisters' room & jump on one of their beds...always the oldest one's...she was more of a morning person. they'd tell me to go back to sleep. it happened about 4 times before i eventually made progress. rather than telling me to go back to sleep the response then turned into "go wake up mom & dad and then we'll get up." so i'd RUN to mom & dad's room and tell them (of course) that christie & sandie were up and wanted me to come get them up. they'd tell me to go back to sleep. again, i'd repeat that process about 3 more times until more progress was made. eventually someone got up. then we had to wait on sandie to brush her teeth and dad to grab the camera...and mom would strategically place us in the right position so dad could take the perfect picture when we finally saw what santa surprised us with. good times.

like i said, i love santa. i love those memories. but i think somewhere between 16 & 22 the Lord stirred something within me that won't go away. my family started a tradition many years ago of not giving gifts. we take a trip...usually skiing. we just spend time together. make memories...don't waste money on useless things.

i was talking with a friend the other day. Christmas is so messed up. we spend all this time & effort making lists of things we want and giving them to people so they can buy them and then we are supposed to act surprised. starting on thanksgiving day people go CRAZY shopping. we spend HUNDREDS of dollars (if not MUCH MORE) on STUFF. why??

we give one another gifts one day a year all because Jesus died on a cross & rose from the dead? something is seriously messed up.

Christmas trees should remind us of the wood the Lord was nailed to...
Christmas trees should remind us of the wood His blood poured out onto...
Christmas trees should remind us of new life & growth that comes only through His death & resurrection...
Christmas trees should remind us that when He is a part of our lives, when we invite Him into our hearts - our homes - His fragrance overtakes & overwhelms us (just like the smell of a freshly cut tree fills our home for a time)...
Christmas trees should NOT remind us of the presents undernearth.

sometimes i think the Lord's heart breaks more on Christmas day than any other day of the year.

i feel like i need a disclaimer here...i write out of a broken heart, but i write knowing that i'm just as much at fault for this as anyone else. this year our family is doing the gift thing. while i'm not really happy about it, i asked for things i shouldn't have. things that cost my family something. things that require sacrifice in order for me to have. shame on us. shame on me.

i didn't even have to ask Him for His sacrifice - a sacrifice that cost Him his life. & the one day set aside to remember that sacrifice...we ask for more.

just something to chew on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVqqj1v-ZBU