Christmas Is Coming

Is it too early for me to write about Christmas? Or is it a good time to talk about the symbols that remind us of Immanuel, God with us?

I don’t think it is too early to mention Christmas in a Christian school because Christmas makes a lot of sense for us all in Christian schooling.

Yes, yes, it is sadly true that there are destructive commercial distortions of Christmas. Consumerism merely wants to use a Christian celebration to sell, sell, sell. But that’s not us. We don’t need that; in fact, we Christians can see right through the silly commercialisation of a deeply important feast in the Christian calendar.

Christmas for Christians isn’t distorted because Christmas really is a reminder of Jesus and how he was just a tiny baby, and yet was God in human form. For Christians, Jesus was not one among several incarnations of God; Jesus is the only incarnation of God.

Let’s think over a few of the best-known symbols of Christmas.

Oh, let’s start with food! Yum! Christmas food is amazing. I love food, and the various special foods from all around the world remind us of all sorts of meanings:

• Some of us do Aussie barbeques; these remind us that families and getting together to just be among each other is deeply important and that God’s good plan for our lives was that we live in loving communities.
• Some of us do roast meats like turkey, pork or even a traditional baked ham. The time and care and patience that goes into the preparation and serving of these traditional foods reminds us that we flourish when we serve others, and that self-serving and selfishness are opposite to Christmas celebrations.
• Christmas puddings, with a silver coin traditionally hidden in each serving remind us that the precious gift of Immanuel, God with us, was hidden. He was disguised by the everyday appearance as a baby, but inside was the gift of life everlasting.
• Often in Australia, bright red cherries are served as a dessert. Their bright redness reminds us of traditional holly berries which are also bright red, and the holly bush covered in fruit is a northern hemisphere symbol of everlasting life as the beautiful holly stays evergreen and lovely throughout that frozen northern winter.

Other symbols, like Christmas crackers that snap when we pull them apart, also show us that a gift is hidden within the ordinariness of the Christmas baby. And of course, the tradition of giving gifts to each other also reminds us of Jesus who came as a baby, a gift from God, who in turn, gave Himself as a gift for us.

Let’s remember that for us in a Christian school, Christmas is full of symbols, and their meanings enhance our homes and hearts.

David Gleeson, Principal