BY ISABELLA BEELER

Christmas is more than just Santa Claus, decorations, songs, yummy food, and presents. While those can be fun, Christmas has a more important meaning. Christmas is a day that Christians celebrate Jesus’ birth. Christmas is also about giving. You can give to friends, family, and the less fortunate. Christmas is a time to be with your loved ones, too.

Christmas is the day that Christians celebrate Jesus’ birth. According to Christianity’s teachings Jesus is the son of God, who was sent to die on the cross for our sins and rise from the dead three days later. Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus coming to the world. Easter is when we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. God chose Mary to birth Jesus. It was a virgin birth. The book of the Bible that talks about Christmas the most is Luke. One verse is Luke 1:35: “And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God,” and Luke 2:7: “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” Isaiah also talks about the Christmas story and says Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Christmas is also about giving. Doesn’t it feel good to give? Instead of just thinking about yourself, think about others. You can give gifts to your friends and family. A lot of people do. There are also ways to give to the less fortunate. My church does an outreach program called Affordable Christmas. That is when we create a store in our church that sells brand new items for 1/10th of the original cost. We also transform the building into a themed wonderland, spending time playing games and making crafts with children while their parents shop and serve a fun breakfast. Another way to give back is to adopt a family to buy presents for. 

No matter what gift you get, it matters who gives it to you. Your gifts are meaningful because you wanted it, and especially because someone you love thought about you when they got it. Christmas is a time to spend time with your family and friends. You can give gifts to each other, decorate together, watch Christmas movies together, and all the other Christmas traditions you can do together. You can make great memories during the holidays. Take advantage of it.

Christmas is a fun holiday with presents, decorations, and Santa Clause. With all of that said, Christmas is more than that. Christmas is about Jesus’ birth, giving, and spending time with family and friends. You can celebrate Jesus’ birth this holiday. You can give presents to your family and friends. You can also spend time with them. You can give to the less fortunate, too. I hope everyone knows the true meaning of Christmas now. Merry Christmas and Happy birthday Jesus!