Written by: Samantha Burgess
Pine trees, twinkling lights, ornaments, gifts wrapped in patterned paper and tied with bows, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Santa Claus, baby Jesus, hot chocolate, singing Deck the Halls, time with family and friends; these are some things you may think of when Christmas is mentioned.
Every year around the end of November the holiday buzz starts with Thanksgiving and then carries over into shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday and then into Christmas. While it is a time of mass consumption of food and gifts, it can also be a time of giving.
Around the Christmas season people also tend to be more giving, whether it’s to that homeless man you see everyday on the street or to organizations like Share Your Christmas. It’s also a time to be with family and friends and a chance to honor Jesus’ birth.
But is there an appropriate time to start advertising this Christmas cheer? Bryan students Katelyn Scott, Jacob Funk, Lauren Larson, and Chesney Brakhage all felt that after Thanksgiving was the most appropriate time to advertise Christmas.
Lauren Larson said, “I grew up with the tradition of decorating for Christmas over Thanksgiving weekend, so that’s generally when I deem it “appropriate” to start getting into the Christmas spirit, but I honestly don’t believe advertising for Christmas early should be as big of a deal as it is.”
Luis Pavon also feels that people make too big of a deal out of decorating for Christmas early and that “appropriate” is something you should decide for yourself. He said that, “If someone wants to have their Christmas decorations up all year long then, by all means, they can go for it!”
Jacob Funk stated that putting up the tree is always a big event in his family. “We break out cameras, Christmas music, bad Christmas related puns, and ribbons. It was always my favorite thing about Christmas,” he said.
Chesney Brakhage and her sister pick out a new Christmas ornament every year. “ We then put up and decorate our Christmas tree with all of the ornaments that we have collected over the years,” she stated.
Katelyn Scott says her family always builds a fake tree right after Thanksgiving. “We turn up the Christmas music full blast and drink hot chocolate (even though we’re in Florida),” she recalled.
Whether you put up your Christmas decorations after Thanksgiving or leave them up all year round, this time of year is always joyful. It’s a time to be with family and friends you may not normally see. But it’s also a time to celebrate Jesus’ birth.
We’re reminded of this in Galatians 4:4-5, which says, “ But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.”
Without the birth of Jesus we wouldn’t have a Savior who died on the cross for the sins of the world. This is the most important message of Christmas
