I guess most of us are familiar with Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”. Lots of different characters work on ol’ Scrooge to bring about a change in his attitude toward the Christmas season, his employees, and the needy. One of the characters was called The Ghost Of Christmas Past. Well, I want to tell you about my own personal Christmas Passed – the one I just came through.

If you read my piece entitled “That Big Fat Guy In The Red Suit Nearly Stole My Christmas Spirit!” on our Christmas page up here at Graceland, then you know that I’ve spent many, many years dreading, disliking, and dissing Christmas. Every year my wife, Pat, would do her dead level best to push me out of my rut and fan the ever so faintly glowing embers of Christmas Way Past when I used to enjoy the season.

Pat loves Christmas. Many of our tree ornaments are hand made. Every single one of them honors Jesus. This year, Pat and I made parchment-like scrolls with verses from the Christmas story on them. They’re beautiful and really draw one’s attention to the central figure of Christmas, Jesus.

This year, Pat took a different approach with me. She didn’t give me any ultimatums. I believe she said something like, “Hey, big guy, do you think this year you could focus on Jesus and not on the commercialism?” I got the distinct idea that I should shake off the bonds and chains of my own miserable Christmas’ Past and get with it, whatever “it” is!

It wasn’t that difficult. I happily discovered that no one was holding a gun to my head and forcing me to behave in a curmedgeonly manner. I purposely went Christmas caroling in our church’s neighborhood. We sang for patients at an Alzheimer’s nursing home. Watching those folks join in with our voices was a tremendous blessing.

I didn’t take advantage of every opportunity (as in years past) to vocally knock the blatant commercialism that exists. I just shut up and focused on enjoying everything that was available to me. Was this a better year? Absolutely. Would I recommend this deliberate change of attitude to others? Yeah! Will I build on this year and do even better next Christmas? No question about it. Yes, Christmas Passed, but it didn’t pass me by this year as it has in other years.

What Life Lessons
Did I Learn Through This?

• A bad Christmas attitude wasn’t something with which I was born.
• I acquired it by my own choices!
• I didn’t have to hang on to it!
• I DIDN’T continue to hang on to it!

Because of my experiences this year, Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning. However, it doesn’t stop there. New Year’s day is here. It’s not just another square on the new calendar. It presents me with yet another opportunity to renew my commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in my life.

New Year’s day gives me an opportunity to refocus on those things in my life that are really important. I believe this whole new year will be richer and fuller BECAUSE I didn’t allow Christmas to just “pass” me by. I grabbed it by the horns and got as much out of it as I could.

None of this would have been possible without the gentle encouragement from my wife. My whole family joined in and encouraged me to do my best. What a fine bunch of folks! I probably should tell you this, though. I firmly believe that each of us needs some special day about which we can carp and complain. I’ve decided that maybe Columbus Day will be that day for me. It will take the place of Christmas! You know what I mean: didn’t the Norwegians discover America first…or the “whatevers”. (Just kidding!)

You probably have people around you who are just waiting to cheer you on as you take charge of your shortcomings and begin doing things differently. Go for it!

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