Ugh! Christmas

This time of year is so awesome! Especially now we are less than a week away from Christmas. All the different versions of scruge cartoons are playing. I am watching the Flintstone version as of right now. And oh the childhood memories and how I use to feel all excited about Christmas and couldn't wait to open my presents up. I use to bug my parents to let me open mine early, it never did work with all my asking and bugging them. Although, I find the novelty of Christmas is wearing off over the years as I grow more in wisdom towards God and learning more about him.
The year I was 16 I couldn't wait and I already had an idea of what I was getting so I went to bed early Christmas eve at 7 or 8 and woke up at 3 am. Not looking at my alarm clock and woke my parents up and got them into the living room, until they looked at the clock on the wall they were kind of grumpy at me for waking them up, thinking I did it on purpose (which I didn't, in fact I wasn't even aware of the time). They both said in a stern voice get back to bed. They had a hard time getting my little baby brother back to bed after we woke him up, allowing him to think that we were going to  be opening the presents up. At the time I think he was 6 or 7 years old at the time. So they got him to climb into bed with them and they all fell asleep.
My parents abruptly woke me up at 9:30 am and I was exhausted and they were saying "don't you want to open your presents?" and to their surprise my response was "no." I was so exhausted from being up at 3 and when I went back to bed, I remember the last time I took a quick glance at my alarm clock in my room, it read 9:00 am. So really I only got 30 minutes of sleep and was not rested. Thankfully though when I am tired like I am, my father always brews a good batch of coffee in the morning and already had a cup of coffee in his hand and set at the edge of my bed and gave it to me. Let me sip on it a bit until I wasn't so grouchy then ushered me out of my bed and out of my bedroom to the living room.
Two couch pillows were on the floor with a very impatient little brother of mine Joel sitting on one and the other for me. He had been made to wait for me as usual every year, we wait for everyone to be awake.
I miss those days of getting all revved up and excited about Christmas. Watching cartoons of all versions of the scruge Bahumbug! And the old fashion rudolph movie which is not so much a cartoon, but not in real life either. I am sure you all know what I am talking about though, with the man Cornelius who enjoys throwing his ax into the air, and licking the snow off of it, thinking he can taste silver and gold. And he also fights the big abominable snow man. And followed with rudolph running away with the elf who doesn't want to make toys, but yet wants to be a dentist.
I love those memories, and I enjoy watching them with a nice cold glass of Christmas eggnog. I enjoy the tree as well all lit up and pretty.
But the best part of all is reading from the new testament in the bible from the book of Luke.
It is always good to remember the reason for the season. The birth of Jesus Christ. I may enjoy all those things, but Christmas wouldn't even be Christmas if Jesus wasn't born, because it is his birth that we are celebrating. I don't reflect enough on Jesus like I should, but thinking of it now as I am writing this. I need to learn more and know more. I only know the basics of Jesus to the point that even the nonbeliever could tell you about him. It says in his word for us to study to show ourselves approved. We need to know his word in order to know him and his heart and what he is all about. All this false merriment that you see people give out to one another during Christmas only, but not through out the year, it needs to be like that all year long. Anyone can get into the festivities of everything, but when it all comes down to it, I really need to focus on Jesus.
Sweet baby Jesus was born in a stable. Dirtiest place to ever been birthed, he deserved much more than that. No matter the good stuff that is played during Christmas time this is what is important to me the most. I haven't shown much of a Christian like attitude, but I need to change it for the betterment of myself and for Jesus, he deserves so much better than this, his father (God) created us for a purpose and to not try to get to know him and his word is like a slap in the face. Who in their right mind wouldn't want to know their creator? I want to know him more and more each day.
I got to not just try, but do it. Read his word, reflect on his word and live his word.
So nothing can make you happy in this world, all the presents at Christmas can't, it fills the void you have for a short period of time, but then that hole still exists until you reach out to God. Yes I love the Christmas movies too and the festivities, but until we get it right with God we won't be truly happy.
This year I sit there at my couch and stare at the tree and try to find the happiness and excitement I once use to feel about Christmas and it just isn't happening. And then I realized that I am not happy ever, never have been. The only times I remember being fully happy, is when I am 100% focused on Jesus Christ himself. Anytime my focus goes another route and I slowly put off a bible reading to another day and put off praying for another day, I get more miserable and wretched, but when I can crying at the feet of the Lord praying and crying out to him asking him to forgive me for forsaking him it feels better and his presence is there and you can feel it! There isn't anything better than his presence.
Don't get me started on Santa Claus. Yes I am aware of the Ole St.Nick tale, however, there are plenty of verses in the bible that talks about the idol that before worshipped over God which is called Molech or Moloch. It is spelled differently when you google it. The thing about Molech in the bible days B.C. It was a giant statued furnace in the shape a human body that had a giant huge belly with its arms stretched out as if it is holding something. What people would do in those days when they turned their back on God and decided to make an idol of their own, was heat the furnace and sacrifice their babies and young children, along with a list of all their wants of materialistic things. Sound familiar? Just like Santa Claus! Parents line up at the mall during this time of year and some kids are scared of Santa and scream and cry and yell and also have a 'list' of things they want. It so symbolic to the Molech offering. Don't you think?
I really don't think I will be telling my kid about Santa. First reason, it is a lie and your child trusts everything you say, then when you tell them at an older age that there is no such thing, they feel betrayed, because they were lied to. Also, think about it? This world is full of sin, because of a lie. Eve was betrayed by the lie from satan in the form of a snake. And then she lied to God when confronted. My second reason for not telling Aaliyah a word about Santa Claus is: I did the photo picture thing in the mall this year and she was petrified of him! I never saw a kid so scared in my life and the look in her eyes while looking at me standing by the camera trying to make her smile, it was like a look of betrayal. She didn't know why I was not saving her from something that scared her. She is use to me coming to her rescue for everything that I do on an everyday basis, but this one time I allowed her to live in a moment of fear with out calming and comfort. Thirdly, in the ten commandments we are commanded not to lie. Lying lips are an abomination to God. He hates it, and I want to honor him as much as I can.