The following column was first published in December 2000. Last year, two days before Christmas, Scott from Illinois mailed a copy of the column to me. He said the piece had meant a lot to him when he read it 23 years ago. He has shared it with others in hard places and thought I should share it again because someone might need it. So, here it is.
As of this posting, it is uncertain if Bethlehem will be celebrating Christmas this year, 2024.
Think Twice Before You Cancel Christmas
Lori Borgman
They’ve canceled Christmas in Bethlehem.
The Christmas tree in Manger Square stands bare and unadorned. There will be no candlelit walks to the manger, no festive Christmas concert.
The Royal City of David, normally packed with tourists and pilgrims, is deserted. Had Mary and Joseph been traveling this season, they would have found plenty of room at the inn. They wouldn’t have a prayer of getting anywhere close to the manger, though. Armed police guard the Church of the Nativity that shelters the tiny stable where Christ was born.
There won’t be any aerial camera shots of the streets of Bethlehem on the 11 o’clock news come Christmas Eve. No mellow voice over proclaiming, “Peace on earth, good will toward men.” For weeks, Bethlehem has been the site of violence, mayhem and destruction, which is why Christmas has been canceled.
You say you’ve canceled Christmas, too—not in Bethlehem, but in your heart. You’ve suffered your own mayhem and destruction. You’ve had your fill of Silent Night. For weeks, the nights have been so silent and long you could hear mice snoring three states away.
This is for everyone outside of the Holy Land who is contemplating canceling Christmas.
Maybe you’re exhausted from caring for a sick family member. Maybe you’re weary and frustrated from fighting your way back from an illness or injury. Maybe this was the year you enlarged your vocabulary with words like malignancy, stem cells and bone marrow.
Maybe your marriage feels like it’s gone flatline. You’re wondering what attracted you to each other in the first place.
Maybe it’s been months since you spoke to a certain friend or family member who betrayed you. If you saw them tomorrow, you’d just as soon pelt them with fruitcakes as to utter a civil “hello.”
Maybe you’ve been devastated by divorce. Maybe you fought a knockdown drag out custody battle over the kids and then went a second round over worthless junk like silverware and power tools.
Think twice before you cancel Christmas.
That baby in the manger didn’t come to make sure that retailers had a robust season at the cash register. Nor did he come to put frost on our windows and pink in our cheeks. Christ didn’t come to create a picture-perfect Currier and Ives memory.
Christ came for three dimensional people—people with thin skin, blind spots and pent up anger. He came for people who hurt and suffer and struggle. He came for people who get depressed at holiday time. He came for those who have everything but feel empty inside and are scared to admit it. He came for human beings who mangle relationships and turn priorities upside down.
The essence of Christmas is that God sent his Son, not to punish or condemn mankind, but to offer a helping hand. Christ was sent for every man, woman and child who can admit they’re less than perfect and need the help of someone who is.
Some say when people open their heart to Christmas, the Son of God works wonders. He eases the pain and suffering. Some say He’s been known to yank the knot right out of a chain. Others say He has gently dried tears, softened hearts and sat beside them in the dark. Still others claim, when they have opened their hearts, that He has showered them with priceless gifts—treasures like faith, hope and love.
Think twice before you cancel Christmas. This may be the year you need it most.