At this time of year, Christmas makes the dominant claim on holiday films.
In the latest Christmas movies you’ve watched or seen advertised, what do you find to be the most popular themes? Family, love, relationships, Santa Claus, magic. Rarely is Jesus mentioned. If these films did not sprinkle in a few traditional Christmas hymns, He would typically not be found at all.
There’s a sense of magic to Christmas time in many of the films. But the reason there is such an appreciation for something beyond our senses is because of the truth of God becoming Man!
It’s true that love and family are very important to life, but God offered us so much more for Christmas than these films reveal. Without taking that step further into the true meaning of Christmas, we are left with a watered-down celebration of nothing concrete for no particular reason.
Honestly, I really enjoy watching Christmas flicks. They seem to be some of the most morally clean films out there as a whole. But taking a step back from the simple enjoyment of it all, you realize that what’s been done to the celebration of Christ’s birth is a tragedy.
“The great majority of people will go on observing forms that cannot be explained; they will keep Christmas Day with Christmas gifts and Christmas benedictions; they will continue to do it; and some day suddenly wake up and discover why.” – G.K. Chesterton
What’s your reaction to some of the most recent Christmas films?
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