Charlie Brown

I won't mince words - I LOVE CHRISTMAS! And I confess, that since my kids have been born, I love it all the more. I have constantly struggled though, with the reason for my love of Christmas. Of course, as a Christian, I love what Christmas means - the beginning of the fulfillment of the Gospel. It's a wonderful blessing and what a great thing to be reminded of that blessing each and every year. But, at the same point, I love Christmas in 2007. I confess that I struggle with materialism, and it is very easy to get caught up in all of the materialism at Christmas. In fact, I will readily confess, that on Friday morning, at 3:30 a.m., I was standing in line outside our local Kohl's, ready to get a "move-on" with our family's shopping. I accomplished about 90% of our family's shopping within the next 6 hours, arriving back home about 9:30 a.m. with very sore feet from standing in line at Kohl's, Target, Wal-Mart and Toys R Us. Is there something wrong with me here?
On top of that, one of the most exciting parts of Christmas, especially in the last few years since we've had kids, is to see their excitement when the tree is set up or when the switch is thrown on our outdoor lights. Now.... I'm not completely out of control, but I will confess that the job of lighting the house outside is a stressful one. I get so annoyed when I open up the Rubbermaid of lights that all worked perfectly last January to find 8 of our 12 strings blown out! What happened... and why does it always seem to happen to me?!?! Very frustrating and somewhat stressful (just ask my wife), but in the end, the joy and excitement is a wonderful reward.
An editorial I stumbled onto in the Post-Dispatch really put a good perspective on this -
So, here I stand on the verge of another Christmas. Ready to wish everyone "Merry Christmas", and not every let the phrase "Season's Greetings" pass my lips because of my faith. But at the same time, is my love for the holidays taking me from the Linus position to the Charlie Brown position? Is there a balance? Is it a balance that will be clear to my kids? Let's hope so!!
I'm trying to hold onto that real meaning of Christmas, but also trying to savor the fun and enjoyment our world offers at this time of year. Does that make me a hypocrite? I don't know. Keeping the faith perspective is difficult, but essential.