The Demands of the Christmas Season

It's Christmas eve, and although we have been busy rushing to and fro fulfilling the necessary demands of the American Christmas culture, I have found some time to think about the equally necessary demands of reverence and worship towards Him whom we celebrate and remember at this time of year. 

 

 What I have felt impressed upon my mind throughout this season to this point has been the extent to which expectations influence our actions.  Most of the time, the expectations of our culture occupy our thoughts to the point that they end up directing everything that we do. During the Christmas season, everything from the gifts that we give, the food that we eat, the cloths that we wear, and the way that we spend our free time.  Often the focus, especially for parents, is on making Christmas live up to the expectations of their children as to what a Christmas "should" be, with the main qualifications being the look or the number of things, rather than the feel of the day.  

I have often found myself going about my Christmas shopping, decorating, and eating according to the expectations that have been made clear by my culture.  I know from my past experiences that to neglect the social customs of my culture would be to appear rude and off-putting.  This is not to say that I dislike the Christmas traditions of which I am a part.  Quite to the contrary, I very much enjoy them, and look forward to them each year.  Meeting the demands of the Christmas culture brings a great deal of satisfaction to my holiday life.  Giving and receiving heartfelt and well-meaning gifts is an especially symbolic and important aspect of Christmas that always leaves me feeling loved and full of joy for the wonderful people in my life. 

Despite the general feeling of joy and happiness that I feel during Christmas, I sometimes wonder if, as I go about meeting the demands and expectations of the American Christmas culture, I am failing to meet the demands and expectations that have been set for me within the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The most prominent of those demands in my mind lately has been his admonition to all of us to "be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."(Matthew 5:48) In my mind, these words sum up the very purpose of His gospel.  The entirety of His teachings are centered upon the eternal progression of man, with the ultimate goal of becoming "even as [He] is"  and living with him in His kingdom. It is a glorious plan, and I am truly blessed to have a knowledge of His gospel and a testimony of His atonement.  My upbringing in the gospel has been the most significant and stable element in my life, something that I turn to during both troubled and peaceful times.

The purpose of my ramblings here is, I suppose, to give voice to the questions that I have put to myself as I have thought of the purpose of this holiday season. I love holidays because for the most part they provide an opportunity to remember and renew our dedication to live a life of service, kindness, integrity, and love.  Holidays allow us to renew ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and with that renewal we are better able to reach our potential.  The problem that I have encountered, however, is in allowing the business and stress of the holidays to overshadow the benefits that come from them.  Am I hindering my own progression by getting caught up in the various aspects of the holiday to the point that I forget why we have the holiday in the first place?  Am I using the holiday to remember and renew my dedication to Christ, or do I let the worldly aspects of the holiday wear upon my character and my dedication to my own detriment?

There is no easy answer to these questions, and my hope is that by asking myself these things, I will be able to experience this Christmas as it was meant to be.  I am grateful for the expectations that are made of me during the Holiday season, and I pray that, as I seek to fulfill those expectations, I will be able to maintain balance between the different demands that come with the Christmas Season.