The Essence of Christmas
In our world of today wherein everyday is a battle, we are often blinded with the material things in life and we fail to see the real meaning in things. We often neglect the significance of these things as we are so preoccupied with money, power, and fame as we deem them important...or so we think. What we don't realize is that this happens because we let them overshadow the things that really matter. There lies the fact that ourselves alone can redeem what we have made out of our lives.
Occasions, just like any other, are not safe from these kinds of false presumptions that has come with change through time. Although having fun is not a crime, we ought to bear in mind that the celebration that comes along with such events are merely an added bonus and not the main point of such. An example is Christmas. We very well know that Christmas is the day wherein we commemorate the birth of the Messiah Jesus Christ. It signifies the real gift from God, sending his only Son to redeem us of our sins and grant us salvation. Thus, we should remember that above all the celebratory customs we do, prayer and thanksgiving should come first.
Ever since I was a child, Christmas has always been a favorite occasion of mine. I remember how I anticipated Christmas Eve each year, hoping that Santa would give me all the things that I've written in my "letter to Santa" wishlist. I can say that indeed, Christmas was and is still my most favorite time of the year, surpassing even summer break, or my birthday even. There's just something about the holidays that brings a warm feeling to my heart despite the cool breeze that comes along with it.
As years passed, many things have changed. I later learned that Santa isn't real and that life has a whole lot of meaning into it. It's not confined to the inside of the Christmas stockings that I hanged on the door when I was little (we have no chimneys in our country, just so you know). It is not merely the food that we eat during our Noche Buena, not the fireworks we light up as the clock strikes twelve. Not even the gifts that we receive from our ninongs and ninangs. It is the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and that is the real essence behind Christmas. What saddens me is the fact that people tend to forget this. I even remember how a teacher of mine once told us that we are slowly forgetting that Jesus is the main reason behind Christmas as we often replace Christ with an X as we write Merry X-Mas as a shortcut. It seems as if we cross out Christ from our lives and this should definitely not be the case. Although there is somehow a truth in this as we are so preoccupied with the gift giving and what's not, that we often neglect prayer and thanksgiving. I, for one, am guilty of this. Nevertheless, as I grew up, I realized the wrong in my actions and am now trying to better myself in terms of appreciating the real essence of Christmas - spending time with the ones you love - that is.
Occasions, just like any other, are not safe from these kinds of false presumptions that has come with change through time. Although having fun is not a crime, we ought to bear in mind that the celebration that comes along with such events are merely an added bonus and not the main point of such. An example is Christmas. We very well know that Christmas is the day wherein we commemorate the birth of the Messiah Jesus Christ. It signifies the real gift from God, sending his only Son to redeem us of our sins and grant us salvation. Thus, we should remember that above all the celebratory customs we do, prayer and thanksgiving should come first.
Ever since I was a child, Christmas has always been a favorite occasion of mine. I remember how I anticipated Christmas Eve each year, hoping that Santa would give me all the things that I've written in my "letter to Santa" wishlist. I can say that indeed, Christmas was and is still my most favorite time of the year, surpassing even summer break, or my birthday even. There's just something about the holidays that brings a warm feeling to my heart despite the cool breeze that comes along with it.
As years passed, many things have changed. I later learned that Santa isn't real and that life has a whole lot of meaning into it. It's not confined to the inside of the Christmas stockings that I hanged on the door when I was little (we have no chimneys in our country, just so you know). It is not merely the food that we eat during our Noche Buena, not the fireworks we light up as the clock strikes twelve. Not even the gifts that we receive from our ninongs and ninangs. It is the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and that is the real essence behind Christmas. What saddens me is the fact that people tend to forget this. I even remember how a teacher of mine once told us that we are slowly forgetting that Jesus is the main reason behind Christmas as we often replace Christ with an X as we write Merry X-Mas as a shortcut. It seems as if we cross out Christ from our lives and this should definitely not be the case. Although there is somehow a truth in this as we are so preoccupied with the gift giving and what's not, that we often neglect prayer and thanksgiving. I, for one, am guilty of this. Nevertheless, as I grew up, I realized the wrong in my actions and am now trying to better myself in terms of appreciating the real essence of Christmas - spending time with the ones you love - that is.