Christmas is upon us! Just about a month to go now! Rush! Rush! Panic! Panic!  No doubt this is why some have declared this particular time of the year the “silly season”. Still, we must applaud the intentions of all those who experience a little (or a great deal of) anxiety during this time. People want to make this occasion special, memorable, a happy time.

This is why a great deal of effort is expended into good food, décor, gifts, and travel. Marketeers plug in to this sentiment of course. Most of us are busy people and time is money.  So we save time and buy stuff. In an age of commercialism, Christmas is one of the key moments of the year for the capitalist to increase production (and his capital).

It can be a win-win situation for all except that of late, much has been made of the materialistic nature of the event. It is easy to see how one can get cynical about it all. And advertisers have cottoned on.  At least two ads from the UK seem to be saying that Christmas should be more about presence than presents.

The Sainsbury 2016 Christmas campaign for example portrays a working dad who can’t decide what to get his family for Christmas. It ends with a reminder that, “…the greatest gift that I can give is me”. Another ad (the best one so far in the author’s opinion) is the offering from Heathrow Airport, which tells the story of an elderly teddy couple visiting family for Christmas.  It reminds us that travel (despite all the technological advances we have made) at this time of the year does take effort. It is a labour of love. And ultimately it is about love, and reunited families.

As followers of Jesus, this is something that we can resonate with. Christmas is about God coming down to earth in human form.

It is about God with us, his very presence in a real and tangible way. It is about God wanting his family to be reunited with himself in right relationship. It is about sacrifice and yes, it is about a gift (John 3:16-17).

All brickbats, bouquets and banter welcome at info@narrominebaptist.org.au