Wait...Christmas isn't about the presents?

“And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:16)

If you ask people what their favorite day of the year is, it’s very likely that most of them will say Christmas. That’s right, the day celebrated as the birth of Jesus Christ. So are people really that excited to celebrate someone else’s birthday? Sure they are, but only because they’re the ones receiving the gifts.

Every year Christmas is becoming less and less about Jesus. If you were to list all of the things that come to mind when you hear the word Christmas, it would probably look something like this: presents, Santa Clause, candy canes, Christmas trees, stockings, etc. I found this website that talks about "The 25 Greatest Things About Christmas", and not one of them has to do with the birth of Jesus. Of course all of these things are great, but come on, shouldn’t he at least be in the top 10?

These days, it seems like people lose sight of what Christmas is really about. Many people will say or write “X-mas” instead of “Christmas,” which only just leaves out the most important part. They even fight each other for that last toy on the shelf just to save a few dollars on Black Friday. Also, there will always be people who get upset because they didn’t get every single thing they asked for on Christmas morning. While this may be upsetting, there are many people that are less fortunate and aren’t able to receive anything for Christmas. After all, it shouldn’t be all about the presents anyway. Around Christmas time, I used to see a lot of decorations that had to do with religion and the birth of Christ. Unfortunately, it seems like those things are rarely seen anymore during Christmas.

Now I’m not saying that all of these things that we typically associate with Christmas are bad. It’s definitely a great time for people to enjoy time with their families and give to others, but it’s also important to remember the real reason for the season.