What is the real meaning of Christmas?

Every year, the holiday season takes on a whole new level of joyful yet frenetic activity. With so much pressure and preparation behind making a perfect Christmas, at times we need to remind ourselves of the real meaning of Christmas. In this article, we’d like to look beyond Rudolph, Frosty, Elf on a Shelf and even Santa. We’d like to dig deeper into our understanding of Jesus and His relationship with God.

Have you ever heard the phrases “Jesus is the reason for the season” or “Keep Christ in Christmas” spoken this time of year? There is a good chance you’ve seen them on bumper stickers or heard it spoken at mass. While these phrases provide a good start, let us dig even deeper into the real meaning of Christmas. Consider this:

“God is the Reason for the Season. The Child of Christmas IS God.”

As parts of the holy trinity, they are one in the same, aren’t they? When people think of the real meaning of Christmas, they usually think of the birth of Jesus Christ in a manger long ago. While this event is so special and miraculous, let us take this opportunity to think about the relationship between Jesus and God. What we mean is this – rather than focus on the birth of an infant Jesus Christ, let us think about Christmas as God being born into the world into the fully human form of Jesus Christ. Let us view Christmas as God becoming man without diminishing His divine nature. Let us also view Christmas as a celebration of God’s love for each and every person in the whole world.

Explaining the Holy Trinity

God is all parts of the Holy Trinity – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It can get confusing as we talk about the three distinct persons of the trinity. We believe in one God in three Divine Persons, each with distinct and different roles. Yet any action made by one of the Divine Persons is God’s action. All Divine Persons are co-eternal, perfect and have the same objectives and motivations.

When we say that ‘God sent his son into the world’ (John 3:16) and ‘Jesus came into the world’ (1 Tim 1:15) we are really saying that God came to the world into a human form. God’s love for each and every person is so strong that he came to earth in human form so people could experience a personal relationship with him, build trust and understand His love for all people and our need for Him. Now that’s certainly something worth celebrating, isn’t it?

At the end of the day, does it make a difference if you say that the real meaning of Christmas is about Jesus or about God? You are not wrong to say it either way, but thinking about the miracle of Christmas and God’s love for all can deepen our understanding of what we are really celebrating.

We send love to everyone in our community as God continues to do each and every day. Merry Christmas! You are loved!