Christmas

During my stay at the Windsor hotel in Kunshan, China I was impressed by the presence of Christmas and all its trappings.

When I checked into the hotel their halls were decked and Christmas tunes were playing in the background (specifically - "All I Want for Christmas Are My Two Front Teeth" greeted me upon my arrival).

Whenever I called down for room service, I was greeted with a cheery "Merry Christmas" and I listened to "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" Muzak looping through my time on hold. And given the need to put me on hold every time I called (while they hunted down someone who spoke English), I heard that tune plenty.

Finally, I asked a local co-worker about the broad adoption of this Christian holiday. I know that Christianity exists in China but I was surprised to see so many reminders and signs of Christmas. I was curious if there was an appreciation of the significance of the holiday. I was told that most businesses were touting Christmas because of the commercial aspect - there were goods to be sold, they primarily catered to business travelers and tourists.

I wonder whether things are remarkably different in the US. We may be more cognizant of the Christian roots of the holiday but how many families really focus on the celebration of Christ's birth? How easy it is to get swept up in the decorations and the gift-giving!

Something that struck me during this Holiday season was the weirdness of Santa Claus. The song "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is especially creepy. In the song, we attribute traits to Santa that better describe God. Consider Psalm 139:

Psalm 139

¹ O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
² You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
³ You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.
⁴ You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.
⁵ You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

⁷ I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!
⁸ If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.
⁹ If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.
¹¹ I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—
¹² but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.

¹³ You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
¹⁵ You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
¹⁶ You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

¹⁷ How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!
¹⁸ I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

....

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

God knows when we're sleeping, he knows when we're awake. He knows when we've been bad or good (so be good for His son's sake!) and He loves us anyway.

God doesn't come to town once a year or only on special occasions. He is always here. He is always with us. He is always seeking a relationship with us. He's forgiving and faithful, loving us beyond measure. He leads us to everlasting life! He's way better than Santa Claus!