The Secret to a Happy Christmas

For many, if not all of us, this Christmas will be different than we’re used to, whether it’s because of an empty spot at the table from a loved one who passed away, or the emptiness of a Christmas tree without presents underneath, or an empty schedule due to Covid restrictions. Whatever it is for you, it may seem like there’s something missing, something that makes Christmas seem less “Christmassy.”

I’ve struggled over the years with the idea that Christmas (or any holiday, for that matter) has to be perfect to really count. This idea brings with it the temptation to become bitter or resentful when Christmas “just isn’t the same this year.”

The truth is, it’s never “the same.” There’s never any perfect Christmas to look back to. If there does seem to be, it’s usually because we’ve forgotten its imperfections. At Christmas, as any other time, the quest for perfection in our imperfect world will inevitably end in disappointment and discouragement.

But there’s a secret to a happy Christmas. (Want to know what it is?)

The secret is that, in order to have the peaceful, happy, joy-filled Christmas we’ve always dreamed of, we have to stop looking for it. That’s right. We must take our eyes off our dreamed-up “perfect” Christmas, and put them on the Savior whose birth we are supposed to be celebrating in the first place.

You see, Christmas is not - and really never has been - about us. It has always been meant to point our eyes and hearts towards God. That is why we celebrate. Not so we can have some perfect memory to look back on, not so that we can have a good time or enjoy being comfortable and loved: Christmas is a time when we can glorify God for His great love and sacrifice for us. That is the secret to a happy Christmas.

John the Baptist said it best:

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)