Bah humbug! I know many people that fall into this category of humans. Whether it’s despising the very season of Christmas or being a negative and unhappy person all year round, bah humbug is the only way to sum up their world view. Negative, snarky and against any sense of hope and positivity, and sense of joy the world could possibly have in a moment can be stolen with a fleeting and ill placed “bah humbug”.
Once a bah humbug…
Made famous in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, bah humbug has become synonymous with Scrooge’s displeasure, particularly about all things Christmas. How many times have you joyfully hummed along to your favourite tune and bumped into someone that simply “hates this time of year”? Why?! How do your come to feel so much negativity towards the time of year that we choose to celebrate the birth of our Saviour, the moment in which light, joy and hope truly stepped into the natural?
I understand some of the logic, some of the reasons why people tend to shy away from the festivities. The mind-numbing process of trying to find extravagant gifts to lavish on your loved ones all on a ridiculously tight budget can be overwhelming to say the least. And the expectation of doing this all while being bombarded with family responsibilities and work demands. I would dare to say that I understand your resounding “bah humbug”, but the world is a bigger and brighter place is we choose to focus on the joy and hope that the seasons brings with it.
…not always a bah humbug
Let me challenge all your Scrooges out there to take a moment to actually ponder the reason for the season. As cliché as it sounds, the entire Christmas season is about more than simply giving each other fancy or thoughtful gifts. In fact, the gifts we give each other as an act of appreciation signifies the much greater gift we were given.
“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring good news that will cause great joy for all people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”” (Luke chapter 2, verses 10-11)
The news that the angel brought was great joy, not just for the people of the time, but it continues to bring great joy and even greater hope for humanity today. The birth of our Saviour brings a resounding hope for a future connected to our Creator through the ultimate sacrifice for our redemption. Our “bah humbug” starts to seem a little petty when viewed in the grander scheme of the redemption plan.
Take heart! Once a bah humbug, but not always a bah humbug. Remain focused on the truth of this season, the birth of a Saviour, willing to pay the absolute and most resolute price for our lives to reconnect us to an eternity. The joy of Christmas is not only the festivities and the hope for a positive season, our kindness and love of family should not be contained to one month or even one day of the year. The joy and hope of the season is something that we can choose to carry into our lives, spreading a light around the darkest places of the world, even when the world itself does not understand of hope for a future in the darkest of times.
I’m not asking you to grab the nearest red hat and gallop through the streets, but rather to remember that there is a greater joy in the season. Even in the deepest darkest of times, we will never be alone for by the sacrifice of the One, we have all been brought home.
Hailing from South Africa, Crystelda is an avid nerd and an unapologetic dreamer. With a BSc. Biological Sciences and BCom Hons in marketing, she has launched the Christian lifestyle blog - Selah Blogger and is the joint winner of the 2019 International Theology Award. The blog can be found at https://selahblogger.wordpress.com/ and her previous articles may be viewed at https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/crystelda-naidoo.html
Hailing from South Africa, Crystelda is an avid nerd and an unapologetic dreamer. With a BSc. Biological Sciences and BCom Hons in marketing, she has launched the Christian lifestyle blog - Selah Blogger and is the joint winner of the 2019 International Theology Award. The blog can be found at https://selahblogger.wordpress.com/ and her previous articles may be viewed at https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/crystelda-naidoo.html