Merry Christmas 2022! Is Christmas losing what we thought it was or are we just getting old? This is the question that came to my mind when I thought that Christmas is just around the corner.

What Christmas used to be like

Growing up in an African Kenyan village, Christmas was that time of the year when we would have family gatherings, and relatives from Nairobi (Kenya’s capital) would visit home. It was always lovely and good to meet with my nephews.

It was also perhaps the only time we would take a break from eating normal food and cook the foods which would be rare the rest of the year. Families always looked at Christmas to have the best time. The idea was to make it as memorable as it can be. The church that day would be full, everybody was joyous. Service would be short with the famous greeting, ‘Merry Christmas’

You should not think that Christ would be left out of this celebration. As Sunday school students, we would memorize as many scriptures about infancy and the birth of Jesus Christ and do presentation. For those who never liked standing before a congregation, it was the only part we did not like.. Gifts and presents were also common at these events. As a child, Christmas was not Christmas with no food and new clothes.

What It Looks Like

But is it all changing now, for sure, I do not have that feeling I had before. Now, the most coveted food we can have any day. The famous Kenyan ‘chapati’ can be eaten anytime, anywhere. It has lost the glory it had.
Now family gatherings seem to be rarer and rarer.

It could be still my young siblings still value these Christmas activities but my tastes and thoughts for this once-in-a-year celebration seem to be changing. But we will always make it more memorable for them and tell them of Christ and His work.

Christmas Big Picture

But with all that changing, growing up, my view of Christmas has totally evolved. As a child, I had no clear picture of Christ as it pertains to Christmas. All I knew was that Christmas was a time to celebrate the birth of Christ. The joy of Christmas is Christ Alone. Christ came down from heaven to earth to live among us. It is for God’s love that He sent His Son to come and rescue us from sin and its wages- death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Without Christ’s birth, you cannot talk of Gospel.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

Sadly, only Christians would celebrate Christmas if Christ alone was the reason for this festival. If you take away the gifts, Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and food, many won’t be very fast to celebrate Christmas.