Deck the halls with boughs of holly

Fa la la la la la la la la

‘Tis the season to be jolly

Fa la la la la la la la la

One of my favorite moments during this past Thanksgiving holiday was watching my young nieces and nephew sing Christmas carols led my brother-in-law’s mom on the ukelele. It’s the season to be jolly! But why?

“Deck the Halls” is a very cheerful and upbeat song, but it never really tells us WHY we are decking the halls and being jolly.

When I asked Gemini, the google AI, why I should be jolly, it told me: “The winter season, especially in the past, was a time to gather indoors to fend off the cold. This focus on coming together naturally promotes a spirit of goodwill, camaraderie, and joy.”

So staying inside when it’s cold should just naturally provide a whole season of joyfulness? Sounds a little lacking. 

“Merry Christmas!” we all tell each other. Christians, nonChristians, agnostics, even atheists share this happy tiding with one another. The word “Christmas” comes from the roots “Christ,” meaning Messiah and “mass,” meaning the eucharist service in which the Lord’s Supper is celebrated.

Technically when people say “Merry Christmas” they are wishing each other happy celebrations of the observance of the death of the Savior. Is that what they are really meaning to say?

Americans will celebrate Christmas this December, but sadly, for many the true meaning of the season is totally lost.

In Matthew, Jesus addresses the Jewish leaders and the emptiness of their religion. He calls them “whitewashed tombs.” On the outside they may look great, but on the inside, their hearts are dead. Their religion is meaningless.

Thankfully, as Christians, we have a REAL REASON for our joy. 

Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing…”

There the answer lies. Our joy comes from believing! The verse right before tells us exactly what we have to believe in: “The root of Jesse will come, even He who arises to rule the Gentiles; in Him will the Gentiles hope.” 

Yes, CHRISTmas is all about the coming of Christ!

As Christians we do not celebrate with emptiness or vagueness. We are not joyful just for the sake of being happy. We do not “deck our halls” for some superficial reason. We do not wish each other “Merry Christmas” without meaning. We celebrate the child that was sent into the world by the Father to save us from our sinful selves.