It is STILL Christmas

Every year I find myself needing to remind myself that Christmas isn’t over just because it is December 26^th. As Orthodox Christians we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for two weeks! Christmas isn’t just a single day event. It isn’t just about one day during which we all gather to open too many presents and eat too much food. In fact, it really isn’t about the “day” at all but a “life” that we choose to live in Christ. Please allow me to explain...

In our secular world Christmas, even among many Christians, has become a secular holiday where slogans such as, “Christmas is about family” or “Christmas is a time for giving” have become trite sayings. Many Christians don’t even plan to attend Church services any longer. We shouldn’t really be surprised though because for many Christians, even Orthodox Christians, throughout the year attending Church services has become at best an honored tradition and at worst a painful obligation during which we stare at the floor and anxiously await the end of the service.

But today it is still Christmas. Not only does the Church continue the actual celebration of Christmas with the singing of the Christmas hymns and the forbidding of fasting, the Church reminds us that celebrating Christmas is a chance to change our life for good. Christmas is about encountering the newborn Savior and living a life genuinely connected (what we call in communion) with Him not just on December 25^th but EVERY day.

Don’t allow Christmas to come and go like the forgotten toys in the corner the day after Christmas. Encounter the newborn Savior and Live A New Life In Christ. Enjoy Christmas every day......but at least for the next two weeks! It is STILL Christmas!