Christmas and gifts are equal

The Christmas season is fast approaching. In the rich part of the World, where Christianity is the dominating religion, many people are spending both a lot of money and time buying Christmas gifts. Every year you can hear a few people complaining. “Christmas is not about gifts” they say, “it’s about the birth of Jesus and love”.

Well. No doubt there is a hysterical shopping frenzy surrounding Christmas. I don’t argue that. But Christmas is about gifts. And it has been from the very beginning. Listen to Johannes 3:16:

“For God so loved the World, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life”.

Well, Christians must consider this the most valuable gift ever given in the history of mankind.

And Matthew 2:11 tells us what happened shortly after Jesus was born:

“They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

Sounds like pretty expensive gifts to me.

One might argue that commercialism and the focus on Christmas shopping went out of control a long time ago, but don’t argue that gifts doesn’t have anything to do with the birth of Jesus.

Not being a Christian, I don’t care that much about the intention of Christmas. I just try to keep the gifts to a minimum.