In the United States,
Thanksgiving holiday, which is the last Thursday of November, is a kick off
into a holiday season toward Christmas. For retailers, the holiday season
between Thanksgiving and Christmas makes up the largest sales revenues, as
American consumer spending peaks with more credit cards swiping. The American
holiday season from Thanksgiving to Christmas is, indeed, characterized by
consumerism and materialism.
What people are busy with
during the holiday season is not just shopping but also partying. It means that
they are spending a lot of money for eating and drinking in greater quantities,
besides shopping more. There are so many things to buy and so many parties to
attend. Even those who are short on cash
can join in this holiday season spending spree by swiping credit cards.
Shop, shop, shop. Eat, eat,
eat. Drink, drink, drink. Party, party, party.
Spend now and pay it later. That’s an American way to prepare for
Christmas after Thanksgiving.
Sure, we need to enjoy the
season’s festive spirit. Many houses and streets are adorned with beautiful
lights. Many Christian families decorates their homes with Christmas lights.
However, this festive time is also very stressful time to many, as well. Those
who compulsively shop, eat, drink, and party, tend to experience greater
stress. Because of excessive eating and drinking, many people find themselves
gaining extra pounds, and this adds more stress. Ironically, stress makes our
physiology more prone to gain weights due to increased cortisol in the blood.
This leads to a vicious cycle of stress and weight gain. While stress level and BMI increase, the
money in bank accounts decreases.
Is this the way we are to
spend the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas – spending more
money for shopping, eating, drinking, and partying, to sink in the quagmire of
stress and whatever it is associated with?
Because the holiday season
that spans from Thanksgiving holiday to Christmas pretty much coincide with the
season of Advent, the faithful sure can find a good counsel as to how we should
spend the holiday season in light of how we are to spend the Advent season,
through the Word of God in the scriptures. In fact, the scripture readings for
the First Sunday of Advent (Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7. 8-9; Romans
13:11-14, and Matthew 24:37-44), which is to set the tone for how we shall
spend the holiday season, rather admonishes the Epicurean, worse yet,
hedonistic, way of spending the holiday season in the United States. At the
same time, the scripture readings are not necessarily teaching us to spend the
holiday season stoically, either. The scripture readings rather advise us to
focus on the reason for the season: Christ, who is coming, with joyful hope,
while preparing the way of his coming. In juxtaposing the preparation for
Christmas to the preparation for parousia
(the second coming of Christ in eschatos),
the second reading (Romans 13:11-14) and the Gospel reading (Matthew 24:37-44)
both encourage us not to get ourselves lost in the recklessness of materialism
and hedonism, as these are stumbling blocks to recognize the arrival of Christ,
when he comes. Jesus rebukes such a life style of pursuit of materialistic
pleasure, comparing to the antediluvian life of earthly pleasures, to remind
that materialistic and hedonistic life will miss the salvation, which comes
with the arrival of Christ.
The world constantly
inundates us with both persuasively verbal and subliminal messages to lure us
into materialistic and hedonistic way of spending the holiday. This will keeps
us too busy for the real reason for the season: Christ, as we need to be more
attentive not only to the sings of his coming but also to prepare ourselves
through metanoia, departing from life
styles of sinful materialism and hedonism in order to focus on Christ. Of
course, those who do not care about Christ and the salvation he brings can go
on to live a life of materialistic pleasure pursuit, just as Epicurean scholars
did not understand the Gospel message that Paul taught in Athens (Acts
17:16-21). It will be too late to recognize the importance of the scriptures
teaching when Christ comes, just as those who were living a busy life of
earthly pleasures and realize the coming of the Great Flood and, therefore,
were not saved (Genesis 6-9; Matthew 23: 37-44). They will be take away from
Christ when he comes, while those who are prepared and remained vigilant are
taken into his Kingdom, just as Noah and his family were saved from the flood
for his righteousness.
A fringe benefit of spending
the hectic holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas according to the
Word of God, as the scripture readings for the First Sunday of Advent set its
tone, is to stave off all the stress. It means that we are less likely to slip
into the vicious cycle of holiday stress and weight gain, as we let the Word of
God lead the way we spend the holiday.
After all, God does not want
see us sinking into the quagmire of holiday stress and weight gain, which are
associated with the materialistic and hedonistic life styles, during the
holiday season. At the same time, it does not mean that we should refrain from
having fun, as long as it does not keep us too busy for Christ, who is the
reason for the season. In other words, it is find to shop and party, as long as
we keep Christ in the center of our daily life, allowing enough time to pray
and thank God, every day. This way, we
can spend the holiday season with hope, peace, joy, and love – just as the four
advent candles symbolize. At the same time, we live this season with praising
and thanking God out of our sincere heart and respect each other, just as Paul
encouraged the Ephesians to:
“Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to
God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to
one another out of reverence for Christ”(Ephesians 5:19-21).
Given the way many Americans
spend Thanksgiving holiday these days make them comparable to those who did not
realize the Great Flood as they were busy eating, drinking, marrying and giving
in marriage (Matthew 23:37-39). Before Christ comes, many of them already sink
into the quagmire of stress and weight gain, as well as other stress-related
psychosomatic symptoms.
As the faithful, on the other
hand, we focus on what we have and express our gratitude for it, just as it is
the spirit of Thanksgiving holiday. We carry on this spirit of gratitude all
the way throughout the holiday season into Christmas, just as reflected in Ephesians
5:19-21 and 2 Corinthians 12:9, as well as Psalm 23:1. This way, we can spend
the holiday with hope, peace, joy, and love, while living a materialistically
modest life as it is a spiritually rich life. This way, we are less likely to
fall spiritually drowsy but remain vigilant until the coming of Christ, who is
the greatest gift of the Father’s love for us.
So, do you still want your
holiday season to be characterized by Epicurean hedonism and stress, or with
gratitude, hope, peace, joy, and love, found in the Word of God? Is the pleasure you pursue worth forfeiting
the salvation that the coming Christ will bring? It is up to you, as free will
is a gift from God.
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