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It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! It’s Christmas Season! Time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior, Christ the Lord. It’s time for hope, peace, joy, and love, and it’s time for parties, decorations, presents, and loved ones. For many, it is the very best and most wonderful time of the year. But for some, maybe, just maybe, it isn’t so wonderful. Maybe, just maybe, for some, the Christmas season has lost a bit of its newness and meaning.  

So how do you keep Christmas fresh and meaningful? It seems like the more Christmases you experience, the harder it is to keep it fresh. It’s not something you want to take for granted. The birth of our Savior is something we should cherish.  

It’s easier when you are a kid or have a kid to see it with a kid’s eyes, but what do you do when you have circled the sun a few times and seen a few Christmases? It’s the same beautiful story, but the human mind tends to start to coast if we are not careful. Here are a few things you might consider if you are having trouble this year keeping Christmas fresh.  

 

1.  Talk to God and ask for a new perspective and insight – to see it with new eyes.  

One of the things that gives me great comfort is that God knows me better than I know myself. How you feel won’t be a surprise to Him, and He welcomes the humble when they come to Him for help. Tell Him how you feel. Be honest and open. Tell Him what you are going through and then look for Him to work. Perhaps, He wants to teach you something new about Himself. Wouldn’t that be great? A personal and pointed message from God that speaks right to where you are. Ask Him and then listen for Him to answer.  

2.  Go back to the original passages and read the whole story. (Matthew 1–2, Luke 1-2, John 1) 

Ask the Holy Spirit to point things out to you as you read. Look for details. Look for key words. Try listening to it through Youversion/The Bible App. Try different versions of the Bible – try ESV and then The Message or The King James and then the Easy-to-Read Version or the New Living. Try to picture what you are reading. Try to picture yourself in the story. Ask yourself things like, “What would I have done?” Ask God, “What do you want me to see here or learn from this?” Get back to the source.  

3.  Attend a Worship Service on Christmas Sunday (the one right before Christmas) or Christmas Eve or in our case, Christmas Eve Eve. 

Go with expectation. Listen. Look. Be present. Sing. Pray. Worship. One thing you might try is attending a midnight service somewhere different. I did that one year in Beaufort, NC, and was enthralled with a whole new worship style and environment. Sometimes it is good to just experience something new. Try a Moravian Candlelight Service. Try a Hispanic Church.  

4.  Spend time in solitude and silence. 

One year, on Christmas Day, I went for a walk in the Bethania Moravian Cemetery among the Cedar Trees and listened to the wind and the silence. It was a wonderful experience. 

5.  Throw a Birthday Party for Jesus. 

Ok, not an original idea, but it could be fun. Bake a cake. Eat food that you normally wouldn’t expect for Christmas, but you would for a birthday party. Have fun. It is the day we celebrate Jesus’ birth.  

6.  Go do something for someone else. 

Take someone Christmas gifts. Visit someone in the hospital or nursing home. Invite someone over for a meal. Find someone to bless. Live out the teaching of Jesus to show His love to others. It’s like doing it for Jesus when we love people in His Name.  

7.  Think about what your life would be without Jesus in your life.

This is kind of like Scrooge’s story or “It’s a Wonderful Life” but instead of seeing what the world would be like without you in it, try to picture what the world would be like without Jesus in it. What would you be like without Jesus in your life? Where would you be without His life in your life? Where would you put your hope? Would you have any hope? What would your life be without Jesus? Spend a few moments thinking all that through, and then, stop and thank Him that you don’t have to live in a world without Jesus.  

 

That’s seven things to try and maybe you can think of a few more. The key is not to settle for less than God wants for you this Christmas Season.  

To keep Christmas fresh and meaningful, you may just need to break up the routine or find moments in the routines and traditions to just be alone with Jesus and take the time to say, “Happy Birthday, Jesus. You are the most wonderful present I have every received!”  

Merry Christmas!