The Christmas "spirit"

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Light-hearted thread.

I’m curious to see how others feel.

All my life, as far as I can remember, I have had what people often refer to as the “Christmas Spirit”. As a child I loved the beginning of the season being roughly marked as the day after Thanksgiving. Those first signs of Christmas; neighbors lights, our own lights, the Norelco shaver commercial with Santa Clause riding the Norelco shaver down the slopes (I am showing my age here); The best version of The Christmas Carol (Scrouge of course); the local mall (outdoor mall at the time) seemed to take on an entirely different feel; the Salvation Army on every street corner.

All of these things and many many more (would love to see some thoughts of others). However, notice that I mentioned all secular things. My early life had a certain degree of Christianity involved in our Christmas (such as a NAtivity under the Chrsitmas tree which I would lay on the floor and ponder for hours) but it wasn’t what the season was primarily about.

Or was it? That is my question in this thread. Was it the wonderment of the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior and I (along with many others) just didn’t know it? I loved Christmas back then. I love it infinately more now. I wonder about those feelings back then. What was the cause of my Christmas Spirit during the time in my life when it was more of a secular holiday for me?

Is the “Christmas Spirit” in fact a Christmas Spirit?

I know I know, you are going to say the anticipation of presents. Maybe, but it feels more.
 
In ancient Rome, during the Saturnalia, people exchanged gifts, feasted with family and friends, encouraged brotherhood and good fellow-feeling . . . I don’t know how this plays out south of the equator, but I suspect it owes at least something to the light/dark turnaround and to the hope for better weather . . .
 
Growing up, the Christmas spirit mean hope, love, the coming of Christ. My mom talked to us about how Jesus was coming, and how wonderful it was. She also talked about preparing for His coming, how we should be good, and how we should love God in our hearts. To this day, the Christmas spirit is still all about Hope.

The Christmas presents were an afterthought…
 
went Christmas shopping with grandson and his parents, to store of my choice, to choose from among options I suggested (in our price range) everybody is happy with what they got, no returns will be necessary. Nobody is waiting until Christmas to open anything, which is fine with me. He is a baby and has no idea when Christmas is anyhow. Have been visiting for a week and today, when I am leaving, he finally got over his shyness and gave me a hug and a kiss, so I am in the Christmas spirit ok.
 
Just a note…The Salvation Army is not secular. It is a Christian denomination.

cheddar
 
Dear Mijoy2,

If your family was anything like mine, I’d say that the giving nature of God first expressed to the world through the Infinitely Best Gift of His Son through the Nativity of Our Lord continued throughout time and history, through Saint Nicholas who grew into legend and the popular name of Santa Claus, through your parents and other relatives, through and back to where it all began … with the Gift of Jesus Himself in Holy Communion on the Altar at Christmas Mass, to you! :o

In Catholic school around third grade, we celebrated Advent by firstly being told by our teacher that we should offer up small sacrifices until Christmas because Advent was a period of waiting like Lent. Also, each one of us became a Secret Santa to another classmate. (Only we might have called it Advent Angel or Advent Elf, I dunno.)

Anyways, I drew the name of a kid that I didn’t really know all that well … but it was interesting how as the days of Advent passed, it became SO IMPORTANT to me to try to figure out what kind of small presents he might like. And the tiny memory of secretly placing Fruit Stripe Gum at his desk has stayed with me all these years. 🙂

~~ the phoenix
 
the phoenix:
Dear Mijoy2,

If your family was anything like mine, I’d say that the giving nature of God first expressed to the world through the Infinitely Best Gift of His Son through the Nativity of Our Lord continued throughout time and history, through Saint Nicholas who grew into legend and the popular name of Santa Claus, through your parents and other relatives, through and back to where it all began … with the Gift of Jesus Himself in Holy Communion on the Altar at Christmas Mass, to you! :o

In Catholic school around third grade, we celebrated Advent by firstly being told by our teacher that we should offer up small sacrifices until Christmas because Advent was a period of waiting like Lent. Also, each one of us became a Secret Santa to another classmate. (Only we might have called it Advent Angel or Advent Elf, I dunno.)

Anyways, I drew the name of a kid that I didn’t really know all that well … but it was interesting how as the days of Advent passed, it became SO IMPORTANT to me to try to figure out what kind of small presents he might like. And the tiny memory of secretly placing Fruit Stripe Gum at his desk has stayed with me all these years. 🙂

~~ the phoenix
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Dear Phoenix,

Wonderful story. Wonderfully expressed manner of combining what we think of the more secular part of the season (presents) with the reality of the season (Jesus). Thanks for putting some luster in my otherwise dying the thread. 🙂

You make reference to what was supposed to be my point. That the Christmas Spirit may be hidden awaiting to emerge. Like a mustard seed possibly.

–Mike
 
I have a theory, not sure if there’s any truth to it.

I think that Christmas is like an ‘excuse’ for being joyful and generous, spending more time with family and friends, etc. The thing is that we don’t need any excuses to do those things anyway, in fact it would be good if we could be like that all the time. But Christmas reminds us to be like that and motivates us to be like that, so that’s what Christmas spirit is. But more than that, Christmas makes those things a priority - so that people who are normally generous anyway will be particularly generous (if you bought presents for others every month of the year, you would go broke, but doing it once a year is good), and people who normally spend a lot of time with their family anyway spend even more time (other times of the ear, you need that time for working). So Christmas to me is 2 things - a reminder to be generous and joyful, and a time set aside for us to take those things further than we could if we had to do it more than once a year.
 
When I was a kid, Christmas, to me, was an entire season.
I loved the decorations, my Advent calander, putting up the Nativity, baking, visiting, sledding during Christmas vacation (now it’s winter break :rolleyes: ), going to church and singing beautiful songs.
Now it’s just a huge commercial build-up to one day and then, bang!, on the 26th all decorations come down and it’s a done deal. It would be so depressing if I looked at it in that way. Folks who don’t celebrate the true meaning of Christmas miss so much.
 
Thank you and glad you enjoyed the story, Mijoy2!

There’s just so much about Christmas that’s good and worthwhile. I remember that at my parish for the Millenium Jubilee Year 2000, we were encouraged to celebrate Christmas all year by doing such things as leaving up the Nativity Scene. In my case, I dried dishes with Christmas towels and drank out of Christmas glassware all year long. Simple things, but deep reminders. What a personally joyful year of “Opening Wide the Doors to Christ” as Pope John Paul II’s theme of CHRISTUS HERI, HODIE, SEMPER (Christ yesterday, today, always) ushered in the beginning of the third millenium after the birth of Christ ! :o

A familiar Christmas reading talks about a “people in darkness have seen a great Light” … so we must carry the Christian Light of Christmas Spirit always, not just one day out of the year, and not just during the Year 2000. In fact, now more than ever.

Looking forward to discussing more with you, Mijoy2, on this and/or other threads, 🙂

~~ the phoenix
 
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