My parents’ living room is full of dormant Christmas stuff: lights, cables, trees, animatronic snowmen, you name it. No, they’re not compulsive hoarders; that’s just their job. They’ve been running a Christmas light animation business out of our basement since I was seven or eight, so the Christmas season has always played a massive role in my life.
The Pew Research center claims that nine out of ten Americans celebrate Christmas every year. It could be argued that it’s the biggest celebrated holiday. With countless films and over 7,000 unique recordings of “Silent Night,” you can’t get past the beginning of December without having cheery colors, sounds and even smells jammed in your face.
There seems to be this perpetual positivity at play. But why limit it to just winter? That seems like such a waste! So here are some steps for keeping that cheerful momentum high throughout the rest of the year.
The Spiritual High Some popular Christmas traditions include reading Luke 2, opening an Advent calendar stuffed with daily treats, or having a churchwide Christmas performance. All of these can be referred to as spiritual “antitypes”—things used to represent Christ during what has become a very secular holiday. Pastor Fred DaCosta, an associate pastor at Chapel Oaks Church in Shawnee, Kansas, agrees: “There’s that struggle for Jesus despite the pagan elements.”
How can we strengthen our spirituality? Make some time for Christ in your everyday life. Take a few minutes at the beginning of each day and talk to Him. Set aside some time to read about Him in the Bible. If you apply the same level of dedication you would around December, your spiritual life will flourish.
Friends and Family It can be difficult with a busy schedule to find time to spend with your loved ones. That’s generally why we use holidays as a good excuse to get together. But why wait? Set aside those moments for your loved ones now, and connect with them spontaneously throughout the year. Surprise your wife with flowers. Set a date to spend time with your children. Take a friend to a place you’ve always wanted to see. If you sit on your laurels waiting for December to make those special moments happen, time will pass you by.
The Gift of Giving We usually slip into the habit of using the holidays as a good excuse to give. And it’s definitely a theme upheld by Christmas’ legendary giver, Santa Claus. But how could we forget the biggest selfless gift of all time: Jesus’ birth as a fragile human child? We use those as our models for giving around Christmastime. And with over $680 billion spent during the season in 2017, it seems most people follow these models.
Even in December, we usually limit our generosity to our family and friends. Yet there’s no reason for any group to be left out at any time of year, regardless of familial relation, religion or ethnicity. Why save being philanthropic for the holiday season?
Jesus Himself had the perfect advice. He reminded the Pharisees in Mark 2:17, “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (NLT). This is a call for us to make sure we find ways to include people as we go about our lives—whether it’s December or May.
Drew Hickman is a freshman communication major with an emphasis in emerging media at Union College.
