Over 300 Days to Get Christmas Right in 2011

I don't think I got Christmas right this year.

I have a nagging sense of not tapping into to the incarnational essence of what an extended time of reflection on the birth of Christ could be for me and my family. Oh, we sang about Christ, talked about Him, watched God provide in unusual ways through the generosity of others, and my wife even did a creative candle thingy with the kids that helped fill their hearts with a sense of biblical expectation. But I still feel like we missed something big.

I'm thankful that I have over 300 days to contemplate a renewed strategy for next year's Christmas season. I think it will take me about that long to come up with a more significant way of getting more of Christ out of a cultural event that just feels like an excuse to get more loot.

Oh sure, we Christians are quick to tell our children that Christmas is not about getting presents. And we watch the Charlie Brown Christmas Special each year and take note of Linus' speech with tender appreciation. Then we go find the store adds and break out our own highlighters.

There tends to be five basic kinds of people at Christmas.