Photo courtesy of Access Creative College
November 1. The leaves are orange, the air is crisp, and pumpkins are on doorsteps. However, into this autumnal paradise creeps the sounds of sleigh bells. My friends start singing Christmas music, and my social media feed is full of influencers celebrating Christmas. It seems we have all forgotten Thanksgiving. While starting Christmas festivities early can be alluring, I invite you to stop for a second and consider the value in waiting to celebrate Christmas.
Starting Christmas celebrations before Thanksgiving skips an important season of gratitude. Intentionally celebrating Thanksgiving offers us a chance to practice thankfulness and contentment which are virtues to which the Bible continually calls us. Holding off on celebrating Christmas allows us to sit in thankfulness, inviting us to experience an intentional season of gratitude. Instead of worrying about presents and decorations, we can practice content for what we have and for the season that we are currently in. We can certainly give thanks for the future light of Christmas, but by waiting to celebrate, we are intentionally setting aside time to thank the Lord.
Another reason to delay celebrating Christmas is because of the value in waiting. As a culture, we hate waiting. The Bible, however, calls us to “wait on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14), and patience is one of the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). Traditionally Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas, has been the season of anticipation for Christ’s birth. If we start celebrating Christmas early, we lose any chance to appreciate Advent and to sit in the waiting. In previous years, I have found waiting to celebrate Christmas incredibly valuable. It helps me get a taste of what it would have been like to wait for the Messiah, and it makes the Christmas celebrations that much sweeter. Taking time to celebrate Thanksgiving not only allows room for gratitude but also invites us to see what the Lord will do in us in a period of anticipation and patience.
I love Christmas, and every year I get excited to decorate my Christmas tree and do my holiday traditions. However, I also deeply appreciate Thanksgiving. I love how it calls me to contentment and teaches me patience. So, next year when November 1 rolls around and you are itching to play that Mariah Carey, perhaps consider taking a moment and leaning into a season of thankfulness instead.
Thumbnail photo courtesy of Access Creative College.