The Spirit of Christmas: The True Meaning of Celebrating the 25th of December

This is suppose to blink and light. Anyways, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

It's that time of the year once again where the city is filled with bright lights, children across the globe filled with delight and gifts are on plain sight. Yessir! It's Christmas once again! But before anything else, I would just like to greet you all with a very Merry Christmas!! It's actually been a while since the last time I wrote in my blog. Well, the review really took a lot of my time but board exams were just recently concluded so I finally got some quality time (not really, I still did chores). Anyways, this year is quite different because I really didn't feel Christmas was coming. Sure, the streets and malls were filled with fancy lights, parols were hanged left and right, Christmas trees were planted and Santa Clauses in forms of figurines, posters and decorations were all over the city, but I just never felt Christmas was coming. I tried to enjoy the cool breeze, but the board exam was just really a buzzkill. The moment I answered the last question and step out of the testing center, I finally felt the Christmas breeze.

But as much as December 25th is celebrated as the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ, it is also my birthday!! Yep, my birthday. What? You don't believe me? Yeah, I get that a lot, 70% of the people who I told Dec. 25 is my birthday don't believe me at first (and 10% of them still don't, but whatever). This is already my 2oth Christmas (21 if you included the day I was born, but who's counting). This Christmas is quite different, because, for starters, I'll be leaving the "teen" years and will be starting the "ty" years, which makes me old, 20 years living here in this world, two decades, its a long time. Well, I'll just be celebrating my birthday/Christmas in a simple way, just spend the time with family and few of my closest friends, which is nice (although I'm looking forward for next year 'coz its already my debut and it will be a huge party.....which once again no one will come but just relatives....hmmm....I don't even think my relatives will come). ANYWAYS!! Enough of my birthday because it doesn't matter if my birthday is on the 25th of December. No no no. This is that special time of the year where we truly celebrate the true meaning of Christmas......TONS OF FOOD!!! NYAHAHAHA! But seriously, as much as food is a major factor in celebrating Christmas, there are tons of more reasons why we celebrate Christmas, the true meaning of the spirit of Christmas. So without further ado, let us examine the true meaning, the true Spirit of Christmas.

1. Birthday of Jesus Christ

In this small manger, the child was born.

Everyone knows the story of how Jesus Christ was born. Whenever I see girls and boys selling lanterns on the street, I remember the child in a manger as he sleeps. And yes, its a lyric of a famous Christmas song. But while we think of Christmas as the season of Santa Claus, we often forget that Christmas is all about the birth, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the celebration of the coming of our savior, who was born in a manger, surrounded by Joseph and Mary, by the animals who occupied the manger and was visited by the three kings. It is an image of what Christmas is truly all about. All togetherness, which leads us next to...

2. Celebrating with the family

Typical Filipino family celebrating Christmas. Not my family by the way.

Majority of us spend the entire year with our family. Yes, at times it's getting tiresome to see your family all the time. Always have to deal with the problems and drama around the house. Sometimes we just like to spend our time with our friends, go out and be far away from them. But for every person who gets tired of their family, there are those who are away and wish to be with their family again. Those who work abroad or has to work for Christmas day for that matter. As much as our family can be a pain for us, our family is still family. And as much as we get to be away from them, deep inside we seek to be with them even for just a day, for a while. And that is why the best people way to celebrate Christmas is always with your family. Just to talk with them, eat with them, share the joy of Christmas with them is a feeling like no other. Just for that one single solitary moment, where everyone is at peace, where everyone in the family forgets the dramas and problems for just one single day, that is why we celebrate it with our family and relatives. Your family eating together, laughing, drinking, just having fun, it feels good right? So go out there and celebrate Christmas with your family (but finish reading this first).

3. Season of giving and sharing

There is nothing like making someone happy for Christmas.

When I was a kid, Christmas automatically meant receiving gifts. I never really imagined myself giving gifts. I've always thought of just receiving gifts until my last Christmas. 20 years passed, and I fully understood the "gift giving process". Christmas is not about receiving gifts, it is about giving. Yes, there are people who give, and people who receive. You may act like a bastard and just act as a receiver, but you aren't getting the full experience of Christmas. It's always about giving and sharing and making someone happy for Christmas. We don't function in the society to just give something to any person we know. We need to prioritize what needs to be prioritize. But on this special occasion, we must give to those people who mean so much to us. So don't think about what gifts you'll receive, think about what you can give this Christmas. Think about making someone happy. The best gift we could ever give Jesus for this birthday is for us to do the act of sharing and be merry all together!

Well, there you have it, the true reasons why we celebrate Christmas, the components of the real spirit of Christmas. I know that there are more things going on for this Christmas. Practically speaking, there are Christmas parties, exchange gifts, preparing noche buena, family reunions , thinking of the gifts you'll get (yep, we ALL do) and just simply having a good time! But even if we don't have these things, just remember that Christmas Day is for Jesus. That we must also celebrate this special occasion importantly with our family, and glorify his name by giving and making someone happy this Christmas, for His birthday, the best thing we could give Jesus. So, only a few hours left before Christmas. I would just like to wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!! May you remember always what Christmas is all about. May the spirit of Christmas live with you always! :D