Bah, Humbug!  My sentiments exactly when it comes to some traditions and trappings of Christmas!  Now, I’m not anti-Christmas, but neither do I Facebook everybody on the planet urging them to “Put Christ Back Into Christmas!” 

(It’s not only dumb, it’s impossible!  You can’t have Christmas without Christ!)

 Bah, humbug- to seeing “It’s A Wonderful Life” eight or ten times. And just how many adaptations of Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol” could there possibly be!  Bah, humbug! 

 Sandra makes sure the house is decorated.  Bah, humbug to climbing through the attic and pulling down 9,000 cubic feet of decorations.  But, we have a tree, we exchange presents, play Christmas music, and even wish a few folk “Merry Christmas.”   Those are all good things!

 However, it never ceases to amaze me how our nation goes insane for three or four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas!  Here’s the proof of our nation’s insanity from a year ago:

* Americans spent 38.5 billion dollars at stores during Christmas.

*  Americans spent over 40 billion dollars for gifts over the Internet.

*  Almost 500 million dollars were spent on Christmas trees.

*  The United States imported nearly 600 million dollars worth of  Christmas tree ornaments from China.

*  A total of 3.4 billion bucks worth of dolls, toys, and games were shipped from manufacturers to retailers, mostly from China.

*  Twenty billion pieces of mail passed through the U. S. Postal Service between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

*  Some have gone so far as to permanently associate their cities and towns with Christmas, with names such as North Pole, Alaska;  Santa Claus, Indiana; Rudolph, Wisconsin; Christmas, Florida;  and, closer to home- the town of Dasher, Georgia.

 Those are the facts. They have been documented. Bah, humbug! Where is Christ in all of that?

 Before you call me “Scrooge”-  I’m not against the basic idea of Christmas or the beauty of the decorations and scenery. My plea is for common sense and balance; that’s all. Not only is Christmas the most wonderful time of the year, it is also the most dangerous! We Christians need to be on guard so as not to be lured in by all the temptations and dangers. 

 We face very serious Doctrinal Dangers.  We’re always (especially at Christmas) tempted to substitute the temporal for the eternal. “HEY WORLD! Christmas is the celebration of our Savior’s arrival-  NOT Santa’s!”  The implication of giving presents is directly related to God giving us the gift of His Son!  We need to remind not only our children- but the world about that amazing fact.  Otherwise- its humbug!

 There are Personal Dangers that can creep into the Christmas season. Christians are not immune to wanting to impress folks with who we are and what we have, rather than imparting the greatest thing we possess- real life, abundant life.  We are children of the King!  We are to be about our Father’s business “in season and out of season”. (2 Timothy 4:2)

 Don’t forget to represent Him this season! People are wide-open to the gospel these days. Forget about trying to impress others by what you buy, or what you get! Most folks don’t even care.  Spend more time imparting what you already have- that gift that is much more precious than silver or gold! Otherwise- it might as well be kwanza (BIG humbug!)

I don’t have to remind you of the  Economical Dangers.  Typically, many spend more than they have at Christmas!  And then, about the 18^th of January, the bills come due! Bah, HUM- DOUBLE-BUG!!

Here’s a helpful hint:  Before every purchase, THINK!  I know that’s asking a lot of some at this time of year.  But you’ll be ahead of the game if you’ll just ask yourself some direct, penetrating questions: “Is this within my budget?” “Is it appropriate?” “Is it really saying what I want it to say?” Gifts you make are often much more appreciated and much less expensive than those you buy.

Stretching the dollar usually involves thinking and planning ahead. A safe rule to follow is this: if you don’t have the cash—don’t buy it. For example, Sandra and I decided years ago that Christmas cards had to go. No offense, to you or anyone!. That’s just an illustration of surviving Christmas and not going broke to do it!  We found cutting out Christmas cards saved us many dollars and gobs of time.

One of the greatest dangers that befall people during this time of the year is a Psychological Danger.  Getting built up for the big let down is humbug!

One of the most effective maneuvers of the world system (designed by the old Deceiver himself) is to create a false sense of excitement. The Christian can get “high” very easily on the crest of Christmas. However, the afterglow can be a dangerous, depressing experience. More suicides are attempted than at any other time of the year.  Christians are not immune.

Guard yourself - your mind and your emotions. Don’t be deceived. Enjoy the 25th . . . but not at the expense of the 26th. If you stay pre-occupied with the Person, you’ll seldom have to fight off the plague.

Make Christmas about Christ!  Make it all about Him! Consider how you can include the One whose birthday we celebrate!  What gift could you possibly give Him? (Hint: A sacrificial missions offering to Lottie Moon, to share the Christ of Christmas with a lost world is one of the best ways to celebrate our Lord’s birth.)

 Enjoy the holidays.  Don’t spend every waking moment trying to find Dasher, Georgia.  Instead, have a blessed Thanksgiving. Have a wonderful time on Christmas . . . and on New Year’s Day.  Just think, this could be our last, so let’s make it our best . . . for Him.