Celebrating Everything Except the Real Reason?

We're diving deep into the real reason for Christmas and how to keep the holiday spirit alive without losing our minds or our wallets. Did you know that 54% of folks don’t see Christmas as a religious holiday anymore? That's a bummer, right? Celebrating Everything Except the Real Reason? So, we're chatting about how to flip the script and focus on what really matters—like celebrating Jesus instead of just surviving December. I'll share some tips on simplifying your holiday plans, avoiding that sneaky Christmas creep in your budget, and figuring out how to treasure the true meaning of the season. So grab your favorite drink, kick back, and let's get into how we can make this Christmas truly joyful!

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Christmas is a time for joy, but let’s face it, it can also be a total stress-fest. It’s all about shopping, bills, and travel, right? But let’s hit pause on that chaos and dive into the true meaning of the season. You see, a staggering 54% of folks out there aren't even celebrating Christmas as a religious holiday anymore! Crazy, right? It’s a time when many have forgotten what it’s really about – the birth of Jesus. Instead of just surviving December, we’re chatting about how to actually prepare our hearts for the holiday and find that joy again.

We can get back to that humble manger mindset, and it all starts with simplifying our calendars. Seriously, saying “no” to all the holiday madness can do wonders for your peace of mind. Plus, let’s talk about finances – avoiding that Christmas creep is key. We’ve got to be intentional about our spending and remember that the best gifts aren’t the ones wrapped in shiny paper, but the love and presence we share with each other. It’s about opening our hearts, not just our presents. So, how do we rediscover the joy of Christmas? By focusing on what really matters and leaning into Christ, that’s how!

Takeaways:

• The real reason for Christmas often gets overshadowed by shopping and stress, which is a total bummer.
• Statistics show that many Americans forget the true meaning of Christmas, which leads to a lot of holiday anxiety.
• To reconnect with the holiday spirit, we should focus on simplifying our schedules and spending intentionally.
• It's not about presents under the tree, but about the presence of Christ in our hearts that truly matters.
• Reading a verse each morning can help keep our hearts aligned with the true meaning of Christmas during the chaotic season.
• Giving thoughtful, relational gifts like letters can have a lasting impact, far beyond material presents.

Links referenced in this episode:

• financiallyconfidentchristian.com

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Episode Transcript

(00:28):
Do you know the real reasonfor Christmas? You might be thinking,
Ralph, wait a minute. This isa Christian finance show. Of course
I know the real reason forChristmas. But listen to this. Here's
some statistics that we foundpreparing for today's show. The Pew
Research Center, a bigresearch think tank, found that 46%
of Americans say theycelebrate Christmas as primarily
a religious holiday. Buthere's the problem. That means that

(00:50):
54% don't. And here's theother problem. That's down from 51%
back in 2013. And the Ipsosurvey, another big survey house,
said 75% of Americans agree.Listen to this one. They agree that
people have forgotten the realmeaning of Christmas. We got a problem
here, don't we? Which leads meto today's listener question. And

(01:11):
I love this. When I got thisone, I said, we're doing a show about
this, Ralph. Every year I sayI'll slow down and focus on the real
meaning of Christmas. Butbetween shopping, bills and travel,
it always slips away. Ralph,how can I actually prepare my heart
to celebrate Jesus instead ofjust surviving December? There's

(01:32):
so much emotion in that. But Iget it. Because everywhere you look,
the stores, the ads, even ourown calendars, Christmas has become
for so many of us, a season ofstress, a season of anxiety, a season
of just financial woe. Andthere's no peace to it anymore. But
there is a solution to this.If we prepare our hearts differently,

(01:53):
I really believe this, we canrecover the joy that started in a
humble manger. Let's just goback and think about that. So let's
talk today on the show aboutthe real reason for this season and
how we can get back to thathumble manger.
This is Financially ConfidentChristian, your daily dose of gospel,
grounded insight and faithdriven tips to to help you break

(02:16):
the cycle of financial shamewith confidence.
Hello and welcome to the show.My name is Ralph. I'm so happy you
chose to join me. You landedtoday in the middle of our series
of how to find joy inChristmas without going broke. And
my goal every day on the showis to help you break that cycle of
financial shame and do it withconfidence. And the holidays it brings

(02:37):
on. So many people are dealinganxiety and fear and shame. And I
hate to say this, but thestatistics today said something deep.
So many of us have lost a realreason for the season. I've seen
this. I'm a Christian, I'm anaccountant, and I'm a father. And
I've seen how finances andschedules can steal the focus away
from Faith during theholidays. I'm going to tell you a

(02:59):
funny story about my youngest,and I talk about him on the show
sometimes. Now I say,youngest, this dude is 6, 7. He's
a big guy, full beard. Butanyway, I'll tell you a funny story.
When he was a kid, we hadcelebrated this thing called Advent.
Now, if you're a Catholic, youunderstand Advent. As a Protestant,
it's not a big thing for me,but it's a cool thing. Anyway. Basically,
Advent works like this. Youcelebrate several days of. They call

(03:20):
it an Advent calendar. And somy wife wanted to get the kids something
cool. She went out and boughtthis wooden box, and it was basically
a wooden Advent calendar. Andhere's what she would do. It had
a little door for each day,and she would put little gifts in
there. And let me tell youright now, my youngest son, man,
he was like, I love this. Thisis the coolest thing ever. But here's
the problem. When he's 22years old, he still thinks this is

(03:41):
the coolest thing ever. And Iguess it was last year at Christmas.
We were putting out theChristmas gifts, and he said to his
mom, he said, mom, where's thewooden Advent box? And she goes,
son, wait a minute. That wascool when you were a kid. He goes,
oh, no, this is part of theChristmas tradition, Mom, I want
to see it. She goes, oh, okay.Okay, fine. So she went to the basement.
We weren't even going to putit out this year. We're kind of putting.

(04:02):
This particular year we'regoing to put out just a couple things.
We're doing some travel duringChristmas, but he insisted. So my
wife put out this. And it's acool thing. It's a little wooden
box. It's. Somebody made abeautiful piece, like an artwork,
basically, is the best way toexplain it. So she put it out. And
he looks over and he says,but, mom, there's nothing behind
each one of these doors. And Isaid, that's hilarious. And so it

(04:26):
leads me to today's quote. Andthis comes from a woman named Janice.
My dear Maida Terry, Christmasis not as much about opening our
presents as opening ourhearts. And think about that's a
simple, profound reminder ofthe real reason for Christmas. My
son didn't get it at the time.He since figured it out. It's not
what's under the tree. It'snot what's in that Advent calendar.

(04:47):
It's not those little gifts,but it's really the presence of Christ
in our hearts. And I just wantyou to lean into that today as we
talk about how do we celebratethe real reason for this particular
Christmas season? First thingI'm going to encourage you to do,
simplify your calendar.Sometimes you just got to say no
because those things thatyou're doing dates are draining you.

(05:09):
So many people are runningthemselves ragged during the Christmas
season. I got to go do this. Igot to go this. I got this work party.
I got to go do this. And theydrive themselves crazy. But when
you say yes to peace, when yousay yes to rest, that's what brings
your family closer to Christ.If you want to get back into the
reason for the season, bringyour family closer to Christ. Second

(05:30):
thing, a little bit offinancial talk here. Avoid that Christmas
creep. Now, this isn't thecreep that sneaks up and steals your
presence. This is thatfinancial creep. You might be saying,
ralph, how do I do that? Well,I'm a big believer in intentional
spending, so decide ahead oftime. This is a great time to do
it. We're in November. That'swhy I'm doing this series. Decide

(05:50):
ahead of time how much you'regoing to spend, how much you're going
to give. Don't forget togiving. That's a big part of this.
But be intentional in it. Thatwill help you remember the reason
for the season. Here's anotherbig thing you can do, and I'm embracing
this myself. Read one verse ordevotional every morning. Those small
moments can help you focus andkeep your heart alive because it's

(06:11):
so. Listen, we all aresurrounded by noise from all directions
this holiday season. The buyone, get one free sales that you
got to have this sale and thesocial media, the glitter and all
that stuff. But man, how manytimes do we just reflect on the real
reason Christ being given tous? A baby laying in a manger. Which
leads me to this. If you'regoing to give, and I'm not saying

(06:33):
don't give, but think aboutrelational giving. What are you talking
about, Ralph? Write letters toother people. I mentioned this on
the show a couple weeks ago.That gift box that my wife did where
she wrote a letter to each oneof us that made a mark on our hearts.
Share meals with other people.Give your time. Because the truth

(06:54):
is those gifts are going tolast longer than anything that's
wrapped anything that you'regoing to buy in a store, those things
are going to last a lifetime.And last but not least, and I've
leaned into this so manytimes, you're probably Ralph, if
I hear it again, I'm going tosnap. It's all about your presence
over those presents. See, themost memorable Christmas moments
are the simplest ones that youshare in love. Which leads us to

(07:17):
our Bible verses. I actuallygot two again today. You're like
Ralph, you get a lot of twoday Bible verses. But listen, this
is the season, right? Firstone comes to us from the book of
Luke, chapter 2, verse 10.This is the Bible birth story. You're
going to recognize it. But theangel said to them, do not be afraid.
I bring you good news thatwill cause great joy for all the
people. Today in a town ofDavid, a savior has been born to

(07:39):
you. He is the Messiah, theLord. See, that's the reason for
the season. You want to focuson the reason for season? Read the
book of Luke. Read the birthof Jesus. I get so frustrated when
I hear happy holidays all overthe place. I almost feel like this
is a happy Christ. Sounds kindof silly, right? But it's truth.
That's the point of Christmas.Celebrate what you want. You can

(08:01):
celebrate all the otherholidays. Great, enjoy. But if you
celebrate Christmas, read Luke2:10. And this is our other Bible
verse for day. Matthew 6:21.For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also. Whatare you treasuring this holiday?
Are you treasuring the gifts?Are you treasuring the decorations?
Are you treasuring all thenonsense around Christmas? Are you

(08:23):
treasuring Christ? I'm goingto challenge you today. Where your
treasure is, there your heartwill be also. How about we pray together
right now? Because we need topray today, Lord, we just thank you
and help us to see that ourheart needs to be focused on the
gift of Jesus, not thepressure of the season. It's so easy
to get caught up in thebusyness of the holidays, Lord. So

(08:44):
give us wisdom to manage ourtime and manage our money with peace
and with purpose,understanding the real reason for
the holiday. And Lord, we justwant you to help us to have gratitude
for the greatest gift that wecould have ever received. There's
no one going to ever outdoyou, Lord, and that's your son, Jesus
Christ. So help us to leaninto that today and through all the
holiday season that it's allabout that birth of Christ. And we

(09:06):
ask this in the name ofChrist. Amen. So here's my action
item for you today. I want youto block all 15 minutes tonight or
later today and I want you tojust sit down quietly and pray and
ask this to the Lord. Say,Lord, what would you have me to focus
on this Christmas, just thinkabout that. Just pray to that Lord.
What would you have me tofocus on this Christmas? And write

(09:27):
down your answers. Commit toit. Just lean into that. But ask
him what he wants you to focuson. Because listen. When you're quiet
and you listen, he'll tell youwhat this is and what you should
listen to this holiday season.And listen. If this episode has reminded
you of the real reason forChristmas, I would like to encourage
you to share with somebodyelse. We see from the statistics

(09:50):
that 50 plus percent peopledon't understand the real reason
for Christmas. And this showcan help them understand that. And
you may never know whose heartmight have been reminded that Christmas
isn't about that rush, butabout the redeemer. Just send them
to our website. You can sendthem to financiallyconfidentchristian.com,
have them listen to thisagain. Send a link to a friend, send

(10:11):
them a text, send them anemail, call them and say, hey, listen,
I want you to listen to thisbecause here's the thing. Christmas
isn't something we've got toendure that's terrible. It's something
we gotta celebrate. And whenwe clear the clutter from our hearts,
peace will take its rightfulplace. Remember, the best give you
can give is your presencerooted in his presence. So look upward,

(10:31):
not to the sides. Be afinancially confident Christian today.
Stay financially savvy, Godbless you, and you have a great day
today.