God and Faith: The most wonderful time of the year

By W. Thomas Smith Jr.

I love Christmas. Who doesn’t, excepting the rare Ebenezer Scrooge we might encounter this time of year? And even old Uncle Ebenezer – as Dickens so eloquently mused over 172 years ago – is subject to having his heart softened. After all, this is said to be “the most wonderful time of the year.” And it is.

In fact, it is beyond wonderful. To me, it is miraculous just how “wonderful” this time of year truly is. It’s a time when (except for the frenzied shoppers and frazzled retailers) the world seems to be put on hold – at least spins a little softer – for a few weeks. And a nearly indescribable, seemingly magical sense of kindness, charity, goodwill, hope, and sweetness fills the air; all directly resulting from Christ’s birth over 2,000 years ago.

Christmas has – in more than one recorded instance – even brought about temporary ceasefires wherein soldiers have climbed out of their fighting positions and crossed a previously terrible “no man’s land” to sing, embrace, and break bread with their enemies.

We all recognize the power of this season. The enemy – our old adversary – recognizes it too. And that is why I believe he will use every weapon at his disposal to quash, corrupt, thwart, and in any way taint this annual celebration. The enemy uses stress, anxiety, conflict, fear, disappointment, loss of loved ones, materialism, unreasonable expectations and others’ subtle demands of our time and resources to kill our joy, keep our focus off of Christ, and marginalize the true meaning of Christmas. We as Christians must deny him a foothold. We must refuse the enemy’s advances by serving, singing, giving to others, lifting others up with a kind word, being peacemakers, refusing evil, refusing angst, praying fervently, reading God’s Word, sharing God’s message, attending church, and stepping back from the crass commercialism and selfishness that the enemy so-relishes.

As I’ve grown to understand it (and it’s taken me well-over 50 years to figure it out), the so-called “Spirit of Christmas” is simply a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Spirit of Christmas is indeed one way in which God reveals Himself to us.

Stop and think about it for a moment. Think about our Christmas greetings and phrases – and the absolute power they exude both in uttering and hearing as well as reading them – “Joy to the world,” “Peace on earth,” “Good tidings” and “Good will toward men.” All straight from the Bible.

Then there are the myriad Christmas symbols and traditions that are absolutely symbolic of – or they stem directly from a symbol or tradition that represents – the celebration of Christ’s birth. Aside from the obvious like Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus we see in images and Nativity scenes; we have angels, stars, shepherds, the magi, camels, stabled-animals, candles, lights in trees, candy canes, holly, Christmas colors (red and green), Christmas trees (nope, this is not of pagan origin as some would have us believe), gift-giving, caroling, Kris Kringle, St. Nicholas, Santa Claus (yes, even that jolly old elf is a transformation of St. Nicholas who we’ll get to momentarily), wreaths, and bells.

Let’s look at a few of these symbols that we might otherwise and wrongly take for granted as being secular emblems of the Holiday season.

HOLY DAY

First, the word “holiday.” It’s an English-language derivation of Holy Day. Simple enough.

A CANDY CANE OR SHEPHERD’S STAFF

What about the seemingly simple candy cane? According to legend – and a number of very good sources – candy canes were first given to children in 1670 to keep them quiet during Christmas Eve services at the now-famous Cologne Cathedral in Germany. As the story goes, the choirmaster ordered “candy sticks” from a local confectioner with instructions to make the sticks with a “crook” at the top so as to resemble a shepherd’s staff. The white color was to remind the children of Jesus’ sinless life. The red stripe, which was introduced to the candy cane centuries later, obviously represented His blood.

SPRIGS OF HOLLY

What about the holly we see everywhere? Holly, which includes the green prickly leaves and the red berries, symbolize the crown of thorns pressed down onto Jesus’ Head before He was crucified. The prickly leaves represent the sharp thorns. The red berries represent His blood.

In Scandinavia, in fact, the holly plant is known as “the Christ thorn.”

LIGHTS ON CHRISTMAS TREES

What about lights on Christmas trees? Legend has it; the first time a Christmas tree was decorated with lights was in the 16th century when it was done so by the great father of the Reformation, Martin Luther (yes, one of my personal heroes). As the story goes, Luther was walking home on a clear, cold night when he was awed by the beauty of the bright stars shining through the branches of the tall evergreens along his path. When he got home, he wired some small candles onto his family’s Christmas tree, lit them, and the rest is history.

WHAT’S IN A NAME? 

Ever heard of Kris Kringle? Well, the name stems from the German “Christkindl” or “Christkindel.” You see, Kris Kringle, which many associate with Santa Claus, is not Santa at all (though St. Nicholas was indeed an Orthodox Christian bishop revered by Orthodox, Catholic, and today Protestants as the 4th-century father of gift-giving and the model for Santa Claus; yep, the English-language derivation of the Dutch Sinterklaas meaning St. Nicholas). Anyway, Kris Kringle is an English pronunciation of Christkindel. So what does Christkindel mean? It’s simple: Christkindel is German for Christ Child, the Greatest Gift the world has ever received.

And there is so much more. Again, it’s the most wonderful time of year. It is because we are all being filled with and surrounded by the power of the Holy Spirit as the world celebrates God’s greatest Gift to us. Let’s remember this; the truth of what empowers the season, and remind others as we navigate through the stresses of the season. Yes, the “old adversary” may want us to look away from God and be at odds with ourselves and others. Resist him at every turn. Instead spread the “good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” And have a Merry Christmas!

– New York Times bestselling editor W. Thomas Smith Jr. is a military analyst, a partner with NATIONAL DEFENSE CONSULTANTS, LLC, and a former U.S. Marine rifleman. A member of Northeast Presbyterian Church (PCA), he teaches a monthly Bible study at Providence Home Columbia (S.C.), and serves as executive director of Always Faithful Outreach, a Christian ministry that delivers bread and pastries to homeless shelters and missions throughout the Midlands. Visit him at http://uswriter.com