Would it still be Christmas?

Would it still be Christmas? The words of that song have been running through my head all week. I learned it in youth choir, and I only remember parts. (If someone out there knows the song and can give the writer/composer credit, please do!) Its basic point is that all the warmth and joy of Christmas are possible because of the incarnation. But I’ve been seeing the question from a slightly different angle: Would is still be Christmas if all you had was “the baby in the manger”? Really, would it still be Christmas, if no one else had off on Christmas? If most people around you thought Christmas and New Year’s Day were the same holiday? If you went shopping and never heard a Christmas Carol? If none of your neighbors had Christmas lights, or a wreath, or a tree? If you didn’t have a tree? If you didn’t make cookies? If you couldn’t afford a turkey (or just didn’t think it should cost that much)? If there were no cantata, or candlelight service, or Hershey’s kisses? If most of the people around you didn’t have peace and joy or even an extra smile because it’s “that time of year”? If your family was on the other side of the world?

I've been thinking about these things this month, and I think that yes, it is still Christmas. Christmas is about commemorating the incarnation. God became man – Jesus Christ, God with us, fully God and fully man. That is and should be enough to bring that warmth to your heart. “It’s the baby in the manger that makes it truly Christmas.”

Just to be clear, we do have a Christmas tree. I will make cookies (although somehow I forgot to pack cookie cutters, small and light as they are). We’re playing Carpenter’s and old Cantata CD’s in our home. And since New Year is celebrated with trappings much like an American Christmas, the mall’s palm trees are decked out with white lights. I even saw Christmas lights on a tree outside down at the corner last night. I will enjoy every piece of Christmas I find!