WHO SAYS CHRISTMAS IS ONLY FOR THE CHILDREN?

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand

Psalm 127: 3 & 4

Christmas was always the happiest time of the year for me and as the first Christmas breeze reached me, I began feeling this happiness and I would wait in anticipation as Christmas drew near. This usually happened whether I had money or not.

Sadly, this gradually changed, as my struggles with infertility intensified, as I found that as Christmas drew near, I began feeling more and more depressed, so much so that sometimes I did not feel like even putting up any Christmas decorations. I remember one Christmas, shortly before I migrated, my neighbor was so excited about putting up her Christmas tree and asked me if I would be putting up any. I told her no, what’s the use when I have no children to share this special task with, because by then my mind had become infiltrated with the notion that Christmas was just for children. She looked at me in astonishment, “whatever do you mean? she asked.” It was hard to explain further to her, because I believe one has to experience infertility or any other unfortunate circumstances like it, to really understand the emotional issues that can result in this regard.

I notice a lot of infertility blogs share this same sentiment. These individuals are so sad especially at this time, because they have no children of their own to share this special time of the year with and I totally relate, but I find that I am now scolding myself for ever feeling this way, for ever cheating myself like this and allowing myself to fade in the background, because I was so convinced that Christmas was only for the children. I should have known better because I know all too well what Christmas is really about, but situations can cloud our judgement and leave us falling short.

I would therefore like to encourage these individuals and others who find themselves also childless because of infertility or other reasons. Your pain is all too familiar to me, but I challenge you to make the effort to do something special for yourself, because Christmas is for you too, not just for the children.

I challenge you most of all to remember that Christ is the reason for Christmas and he came for all of us, to save us from this sinful world. Sadly, many of us do not celebrate Christmas for this reason, we become consumed with the commercial side of it. We empty our pockets to buy the latest toys and gadgets for our children, when all that Christ really wants from us is to reflect on the unselfish reason for his birth and to try to align our lives in the path that he has chosen for us.

I think the reason that this mindset came about, that Christmas is for children, is because children do seem to be the ones who are happiest at Christmas, and this, I think is because their childhood innocence allow them this privilege, while we as the adults are so bugged down with everything else, that we have no energy left to show any happiness at all or even to reflect at this time of the year.

Why not stop this Christmas and focus on the reason for the season. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. What precious gift, should’nt our eyes be all aglow, just like the eyes of those tiny tots, when they retrieve those special gifts they ask for, from under the Christmas Tree.

A reflective Christmas to you all, and until next time, keep clinging to hope.