Is the meaning of Christmas getting lost

The Christmas shopping is finished ... well, almost. A stocking stuffer or two still needs to be found. Friday becomes wrapping day ... beats the day or two before Christmas which had been the long-standing tradition. And, so this year I have a little time to stop and reflect on the meaning of Christmas ... the true meaning of this yearly event.

There is a story shared by Donald Deffner. "A television interviewer was walking the streets of Tokyo at Christmas time. Much as in America, Christmas shopping is a big commercial success in Japan. The interviewer stopped one young woman on the sidewalk, and asked, 'What is the meaning of Christmas?' Laughing, she responded, 'I don't know. Is that the day that Jesus died?' There was some truth in her answer."

A personal confession: I love getting presents! I've shared in the past that I would rather get 20 one-dollar gifts instead of one $20 gift. And so, as painful as it might be, I do confess that the commercialism is not lost on me. I do get caught up in the hyper-activity of the season.

There was a time, not too many years ago, that I would try to get to the mall on Christmas Eve day. Not to purchase anything, since that had all been accomplished in the days leading up to Christmas Eve, but to have some sort of "experience" ... to be in a large crowd with one single goal in mind. I cannot explain it, maybe I am simply nuts, but there has always been a richness of a special spirit on that day - the spirit of joy in getting the right gift; the spirit of being driven by a single purpose; the spirit of love; the spirit found in the smiles and greetings from total strangers. At some point I would stop in the center of the mall, close my eyes and thank God that most of the people surrounding me would eventually find themselves in a church of their choosing for a simple candlelight service - at least that was my prayer.

I believe that the Japanese woman was closer to the truth than Mr. Deffner could possibly realize. Because, if Jesus hadn't died on the cross at Calvary we wouldn't be remembering and celebrating his birth in a manger. Maybe I am naive, but I do believe that most people really do get the true meaning of Christmas even as they head off to the mall or Wally-World or wherever to make another purchase.