Kirk Cameron is rather "spirited" this year in his campaign. As Rick Warren and the Vatican lead mainstream Christianity into Chrislam, Kirk's definition of a woman's place is a bit unsettling. His trailers and promos have brought many thoughts of my own history of coming to the place I now am. Kirk Cameron's latest proclamation about how much responsibility lies on the woman of the house, brought a cavalcade of crazy memories that nearly drowned my soul. It was certainly not a living water experience . . . The memories of a double boiler of chocolate on the back burner of the stove through the month of December for candy making. All the projects hidden to be worked on in the wee hours of the night. The packages that were rewrapped by snoopers and peekers. The money that was spent, that brought no true valued gifts to anyone's life. As an introvert, I hated attending and even worse, hosting holiday parties, but, it was part of my responsibility to make the "Christmas magic" happen!
Even in all that chaos and mayhem, I didn't shun and reject Christmas right away. Actually, it was quite a gradual thing of being shunned by those who participated. Back in the early nineties I became aware of how incredibly commercialized and self-focused Christmas was. Then when I became a true covenant believer in 1994, I truly wanted to put Christ back in Christmas, also. The main problem, I learned later, was Christ is not the English or Latin or Greek translation of מָשִׁ֫יחַ [Moshiach.] Messiah is the English translation of the Hebrew term and Messiah was never in Christmas. I didn't have access to all the information that is now available on the internet, and twenty years ago, there were very few folks to ask. Even Jews for Jesus celebrate Christmas! To further complicate my dilemma, I didn't know how to keep the Fifth Commandment while separating myself from the traditions of "G-d, Country and Family."
Our family also embraces the tradition of dysfunction, minus the "fun," and I was a main character. As a new believer, I didn't want my good to be spoken evil of. I didn't know how to make up for past disrespect and absence, other than to now attend. So, I made good food, a birthday cake for Jesus, and muddled through a couple more years. Easter didn't hold the same dilemma. Although I loved the colorful eggs, a sneaky rabbit had really never been a part of our Easter celebration and the 1/2 price Russell Stover's the Monday following seemed like a good idea at the time. I didn't really feel torn between observing the Feast Days of Elohim and the traditional holidays. They truly didn't seem related. The Feast Days of Abba were spiritual, and the family gatherings were grueling obligations.
In 1997, I discovered the truth of Jeremiah 10:3-4 and even with the Christian explanation, I knew that was the last year for a Christmas tree. I was shown a vision of so many on their knees arranging the tree skirt and packages, I just could not "unsee" that image. By the late nineties, I realized my former reputation in the family was going to prevail regardless of the books I wrote and the faith I proclaimed, so 1999 was the end of my attempted attendance. There was much less chance of yielding to temptation if I simply didn't participate and attempt to defend myself. When I married in 2002, in just a matter of months; it was revealed that my husband's solo attendance was preferred at his family gatherings, so that issue was resolved without a problem.
I gave up on the birthday cake for "Jesus" when I realized Messiah's True name, Y'hshuah, just didn't look right on a cake in December. Even, Immanuel, didn't look right! Messiah said His burden is light and His yoke is easy. If we are finding ourselves obligated to a month of high stress, a choice between overtime or debt, and feeling forced to not only smile through it, but create merriment, isn't it time to consider the real meaning of this tradition? It's not even December yet, and taking the family to "Saving Christmas" is going to cost how much?
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