The true meaning of Christmas

So what is the true meaning of Christmas?

First we must dig ourselves out of the muck of jingle bells, in-store carols, office parties, over indulging in eat and drink, Hallmark sentimentality, Rudolph, colored lights on houses and trees, eggnog, Christmas pageants. You get it. All of that stuff.

Keep on digging out of the muck of relentless and savage marketing wrapped up in Christmas cheer, warm and cozy calls to buy stuff because we deserve it, retailers all dressed up in Christmas to suck money out of us to meet their bottom lines, shelves stuffed with stuff that will be forgotten before New Year. Yep, you know exactly what I mean.

Dig some more to get out of the muck of magic Christmas relationships where love falls on everyone like snowflakes, dysfunctional families heal themselves and Christmas is the fuzzyfest that makes the whole world comes right. You know that world that will soon be great again.

The true meaning of Christmas? We’re almost there.

Look at the child in the manger. That is where we start to find it. But not simply that child in that place in that time, for He is only the child for Christians. Mythologies through space and time have needed a savior, a special child of special birth.

This is not the child born in time for some, but the timeless child-symbol for all.

This child is the symbol of hope and love; but not of flabby hope and love.

But of hope to face down hopelessness and love to teach forgiveness, always born anew and always ahead of us to be attained to.

This is the true meaning of Christmas.