I had been having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit knowing that Donald Trump is set to become president when I realized something rather obvious.
Christmas has nothing to do with Donald Trump because it has nothing to do with who is and is not president.
Christmas has nothing to do with external circumstances of any kind. It comes every year because Jesus’ birth happened.
It is true that it probably didn’t happen on December 25th, or that he was born in a manger in Bethlehem or that anything about the birth stories in Matthew and Luke is actually true. Some of it could be, but probably not much of it.
And it doesn’t matter!
The Christmas story is just that, a story told by the church that allows Christians to celebrate the essential truth that the birth of Jesus of Nazareth changed the world.
The details don’t matter, any more than the exact details of the stories of Christmases past we tell every year matter.
Those personal stories make us smile, laugh, cry, relive special moments, and re-enforce enduring family ties, stories that continue to shape our identity and make us who we are.
The same is true for Christmas. Every time the story is read or told it makes us smile, laugh, cry, ponder the presence of God in our lives, and I think always makes us want to be better people.
That’s the point of Christmas. The story says Joseph named the babe in the manger “Jesus” because he would save his people from their sins.
That is a peculiar Christian affirmation that speaks of salvation for everyone by declaring the greatest truth of faith – all faith – that the One who Created us is like a mother who will never abandon us, like a father who will always be there for us, like the best parents who always forgive us because that is the nature of unconditional love.
It’s too bad some Christians use that message to judge people who are not Christian, or not the kind they are, or use it to insist Christian truth is the only truth.
That’s not what Christmas is about. The message of Christmas is not tribal, exclusive, or judgmental.
It is, instead, one of assurance that everyone is family, that no one is left out, that love is unconquerable, and that barriers between people are created by earthly powers like King Herod, but never by those who celebrate the birth of the babe in the manger.
Christmas is a time to remember that as bad as today is, there is still good in the world because there are still good people who outnumber the people who are bad.
Charles Dickens knew there were people like Ebenezer Scrooge when he wrote a story about Christmas, but he also knew there were people like Bob Cratchit who keep the spirit of Christmas alive.
In the end that spirit triumphs, not just in the story, but in real life.
That is why circumstances like Donald Trump’s election, WWI, the Great Depression, WWII, Viet Nam, Afghanistan, Iraq, the Great Recession do not determine whether or not Christmas is Christmas.
Christmas is always Christmas. That’s the message of this season.
And it means that any of us can get into the Christmas spirit if we want to.
When I realized that I knew I wanted to, and ever since not a single day has been overshadowed or diminished by thoughts about what the new year will bring.
Come what may, Christmas is and always will be Christmas.
And that is why I say without hesitation, whatever your circumstances, whatever your faith tradition, whatever your worries, whatever your struggles…
Merry Christmas! It really is the most wonderful time of the year.
linnposts.com 
Two weeks ago I told our minister that I have never “needed” Christmas as much as I do this year . Your wonderful Linnpost has summed up my “need”, and what Christmas brings to address that painful need… I am no longer on the outside looking “in” nor “at” Christmas. I am now deeply engulfed in the meaning and Spirit of Christmas. Thank God…& thank you my friend. Merry Christmas
I have never known anybody who embodies the Christmas spirit more than you do, Joe, all year round. That this post helps with that, even in the least, is very satisfying. Merry Christmas to you and Judy and your family, my friend.
Well done! And so needed this year. I think your thinking on this subject is SPOT ON. Somehow we will survive what we have created. And we need to keep a positive outlook. Your message helped me see that. Thanks. Merry Christmas to you & Joy. May you have a great Holiday Season with your family and friends. I’m staying here in the warmth, thank you!
And Merry Christmas to all of your blogging friends. I appreciate your comments.
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And the same to you, Wally. We will make it through together. See you in the new year!
Thank you, Jan. May your Christmas be Wondrous!
Steve Digby
Thank you, Steve, and yours as well. I admire your courage and strength to be a voice of reason and enlightenment in a state that needs a lot of both.
Jan,
This post is masterful, as only you can do it. You so nicely capture the reality that “the story told by the church allows Christians to celebrate the essential truth that the birth of Jesus of Nazareth changed the world.”
It matters not at all whether Jesus was the son-of-God by a virgin birth or that he was sent here to die for our sins and thereby “save” us. What matters is that he lived and walked the earth and by his words and actions showed us what is good and right and how to treat our fellow man.
Bravo, my good friend! And Merry Christmas to you and Joy! Bill
Bill, this is comment means more than to me than I can tell you in words. You really are the best friend anyone could have. Thank you.
Thanks Jan for your beautiful hope filled message! As I read your article these words come to mind—“Out of the ashes a Phoenix rises.” Your spirit is alive and strong! May each of us share the message of the Christ child! MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and your readers.
Thank you for the comment, Virginia, and especially the Phoenix quote. Have a wonderful Christmas.
A much needed reminder Jan. Merry Christmas to you, Joy and all your family.
And to you and your whole family, Wilbur. Hope you are home for Christmas this year.
Merry Christmas, my friend. Thanks for the uplifting message, and may the joy and hope of Christmas be multiplied to you and your family. I look forward to seeing you again whenever it happens.
Cheerz!
Mary and Gene
Thanks, Gene. You all have a Merry Christmas as well. Then let’s all confront what the new year will bring together. Glad to be in good company.
Thank you, Jan, for your eloquent portrayal of every person’s wrestling match with darkness and light, our lower selves vs. our higher selves. Our attitude is often all we can control. I have long resonated most keenly with Jesus’ teaching that, “the kingdom of God is within”. It is with that in mind that I feel best served when striving to reach within myself to elevate the meaning of Christmas in a world which has always ebbed and flowed from dark to light again and again. In Him we saw how to always embrace the light and reject the darkness. No greater gift for God’s frail children! Merry Christmas to you and yours, and all the world!
Bob, your thoughts remind me of the old adage, “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas! Thanks for sharing the light & love of the season! We can in our own way experience & reclaim authentic essence of Christmas.
Thanks for responding, Amy. Don’t lose hope. Those of us on the wrong end of the election still have a voice and a role to play in shaping our nation’s future, especially your generation.