It’s Christmas morning! I woke up at 7.00 am. No, I didn't run downstair to check if Santa has left me a gift! Instead, I went through my usual morning routine - switch off the night lamp, wash my face, make myself a cup of hot mocha, and go down to the basement for a quiet time of reflection, bible reading and prayer.
Photo: Courtesy of allthingschristmas.
What are we doing later today? The Ambrose family has invited us over to their home to spend the day and have a simple meal together.
This morning, it occured to me that we've celebrated Christmas in England, S'pore, Australia and now in the US! Our observation of the celebration in the US:
- The festivity is prolonged; starting from Thanksgiving in Nov, and ending with the New Year’s Day in Jan. A lot of the fun is in the anticipation part, tree trimming, shopping, baking, caroling, and waiting!
- Thanksgiving is focused on the family meal (turkey). The highlight of Christmas is the gift exchanges. During Thanksgiving, every supermarket went on sale, but during Christmas, it is the retailers’ cash registers that are ringing continuously.
Last Saturday, we went to the mall to buy a gift. We were amazed! The mall, which is usually deserted, was packed with shoppers. There were queues everywhere, even in the toilets! Not unlike Singapore. So, if you asked us, we prefer "Thanksgiving" to "Christmas" in the US.
Photo: Edible ginger bread/candy house
Here, there is no Boxing Day! Americans spent the Christmas day unwrapping the gifts and saying polite “thank yous” to uncles and aunties for their gifts that they may not be too excited about, but still having to pretend that the gifts were just what they had wished for! (My guess is that gift wrap was invented by someone who is giving a present that he doesn’t wish to be around when the recepient opened it later :-) .
Photo: Edible ginger bread/candy house
Here, there is no Boxing Day! Americans spent the Christmas day unwrapping the gifts and saying polite “thank yous” to uncles and aunties for their gifts that they may not be too excited about, but still having to pretend that the gifts were just what they had wished for! (My guess is that gift wrap was invented by someone who is giving a present that he doesn’t wish to be around when the recepient opened it later :-) . .
There is no church service on Christmas day. Instead, our church had a carol and candlelight service on Christmas eve. We sang the usual Christmas carols but was disappointed that our favorite Christmas carol was not sung. In fact, I realized that it has not been on air over the radio. Perhaps, it is not a song that is familiar with the Americans (I have to check this out).
There is no church service on Christmas day. Instead, our church had a carol and candlelight service on Christmas eve. We sang the usual Christmas carols but was disappointed that our favorite Christmas carol was not sung. In fact, I realized that it has not been on air over the radio. Perhaps, it is not a song that is familiar with the Americans (I have to check this out).
Anyway, I checked you-tube if it has a video clip of the song, but no. From my web search for the lyrics, I realized that Disney has a version of it in an album on Christmas but the song has been shortened (and modified...):
Christmas isn't Christmas,
Till it happens in your heart,
Somewhere deep inside you,
Is where christmas really starts,
So, give your heart to people,
You'll discover when you do,
That it's Christmas ... really Christmas... for you!
Can you spot the difference? See the original version below.
Christmas isn't Christmas,
Till it happens in your heart,
Somewhere deep inside you,
Is where Christmas really starts,
So give your heart to Jesus,
You'll discover when you do,
That it's Christmas … really Christmas… for you!
Disney has substituted “people” for “Jesus”! Truly, this reflects how much the world has commercialized Christmas. For Christians, Christmas is about celebrating the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Every family have their own Christmas traditions… well, for me and my wife, ours’ is a simple one … we sing the carol (the original version!) together on Christmas day. We don’t exchange gifts but wish each other “Jesus” because we know that when we wish our spouse “Jesus”, we have wished him/her everything!
Anyway, if you are interested, here is the remaining part of the song …
Anyway, if you are interested, here is the remaining part of the song …
Jesus brings warmth like a winter fire,
A light like a candle's glow,
He's waiting now to come inside,
As He did so long ago,
Jesus brings gifts of truth and life,
And makes them bloom and grow,
So welcome Him with a song of joy,
And when He comes you'll know, that..
Christmas isn't christmas
'til it happens in your heart.....
So, over this Christmas, we wish you "Jesus". That He will bring His gifts of warmth, light, joy, truth and life into your household. Like the shepherds and the wisemen on the first Christmas,
we hope you will welcome Him with a song of joy!
