This Christmas, I listened to a song about an Italian village that celebrates Christmas all year. In the throes of post-Christmas blues, that idea sounds appealing. Don’t you wish we could just keep the Christmas parties going all year? Maybe you think you would, or maybe you’re sure you would be bored with that quickly. Well, whatever side you land on, the post-Christmas blues is real thing!
According to one article, the “post-Christmas blues” is a “short-lived mental distress, anxiety, and sadness that arises after the holidays.” The article explains that “common symptoms” include feelings of emptiness, stress, loneliness, and loss. Have you ever diagnosed yourself with the post-Christmas blues? For many people, the first day of “normal life” after the holidays can feel like a day of emptiness and loss. All the anticipation building up from Thanksgiving until New Year’s Day has now all been emptied by the parties and family functions. When the family and friends pack up and go back home, we feel a sense of loss. We look ahead and see only dreary winter days without the warmth and cheer of twinkling Christmas lights or the anticipation of another party.
For those of us who understand that Christmas is a holy day, we have not been emptied of anything or lost anything. For believers, December 25th or January 1st is not the end of the celebration. It is only the beginning! While the family and friends may leave and return to their respective homes, that does not mean the joy and hope of Christmas leave as well. Just because the Christmas cookies are all eaten and the decorations are stored away in the attic, does not mean we must box up the peace and love that Christmas radiates. Why? Because the Christmas season is not just about nice stories, family reunions, gifts, and Santa Clause. Christmas is a birthday. Actually, it’s more than a birthday.
Christmas is not just about a miraculous virgin birth—although that is certainly worth celebrating! When the angel announced Christ’s birth to Joseph, he said, “thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). When John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, saw Jesus for the first time, he cried, “Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus himself said He was born “to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). So, Christmas is more than just a birthday. It’s a celebration of life—Christ’s life.
Jesus Christ was born on Christmas, but He lived the day after that and the day after that. In fact, Jesus lived 33 years on this earth. He lived the righteous life that you and I were meant to live but have not lived. Then, Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin—a sacrifice that only a perfect man could make. Jesus was the only one qualified to save us, and He did! When anyone places his faith in Christ’s finished work, Jesus exchanges His righteous life for the sinner’s life. This is what the Christmas season is about. It is about a miraculous birth, a righteous life, an atoning death, and a triumphant resurrection. In a sense, the Christmas season is just a season of anticipation for another grand celebration. In just a few more months, Christmas Part 2 is coming! The celebration of Christ and what He was born to do culminates in the Easter holiday—also known as Resurrection Sunday.
As Christians, we don’t need to feel drab about Christmas being over, because it isn’t. Christmas Day is just Part 1 of the story! The Christmas story that we celebrate on December 25th continues through the year, just as the life of Christ continued after His birth. Yes, our calendars are marked with special days set aside to reflect on specific portions of Christ’s life—His birth, death, and resurrection. And we should punctuate our lives with traditions and celebrations that emphasize these aspects of Christ’s life. Yet we must not forget in between that the celebration continues in our mindset and actions every single day. Philippians 2:5 tells us to let the humble mind of Christ be in us. Ephesians 4 encourages us to grow up into Christ in all things (v. 15) and to live our new lives created in Christ’s likeness (v. 23).
So, what new year’s resolutions have we made that carry eternal weight? What goals have we set for the new year that include growing in Christ? For Christ’s disciples, every day is an opportunity to retrace Christ’s step. Each morning is a chance to conform more to Christ’s image by thinking, speaking, acting, and loving like He would. The best way to celebrate the life of Christ is to seek to live the life of Christ daily. We won’t be perfect at it, but the goal is to always strive toward it. This infuses every day with purpose, meaning, peace, hope, love, and joy. This is how we keep celebrating Christmas!