Christmas Gone Awry?

I blinked several times when I drove past an unusual holiday display. A man had assembled in his yard what I can only describe as a combination of Christmas and Halloween decorations. Santa in his sleigh and his reindeer were all skeletons. Another Santa was suspended from the porch ceiling by his hands. Witnesses to the hanging were a witch, a devil, and another skeleton. The front door had an evil-looking monster to greet visitors. The disturbing scene left me wondering. What kind of message was the owner trying to make?

How  decorations reflect our values.

Some people might believe those strange decorations are the result of a creative mind. Perhaps a fun-loving person who enjoyed Halloween carried it over to the Christmas holiday. On the other hand, he may have wanted to surprise or shock people. Maybe he adorned his lawn with these curious figures as a joke.

Do our decorations show our love of Christmas?

I know nothing about the owner of those strange decorations, but he may be someone who despises Christmas. If he has only been exposed to the commercial aspects of the season, he may be rejecting the materialism of the holiday. Many people might sympathize with that feeling. They are stressed out from buying gifts and paying bills.

However, another possibility exists. Could the owner be ignorant of the true meaning of Christmas? Maybe he never experienced the joy of it. As Christians, we rejoice that God became flesh and dwelt among us. He took the form of a man so he could save us from our sins. Without Christmas, we would have no hope of eternal life.

Do our decorations reflect the joy we have in Him?

Many people, especially those from foreign countries, have never heard the biblical story of the Messiah’s birth. They do not know the Christ of Christmas. Those strange holiday figures the man erected in his yard remind me to pray for those around us who still need to meet the One born in a manger.