This will be our first Christmas in Switzerland. I wonder how it will differ from the ones we were used to in Britain. As I write, the shops are gearing up for Christmas but it does seem to be more restrained than what you would see in Britain by this time.
If an advertising agency was asked to come up with a slogan to remind people about the Christian message at Christmas they might try "Not genuine without the baby in the manger" and added that well-known warning "Beware of imitations".
Churchpeople and others do indeed talk about "the real Christmas" as something different from the consumerist festival that invades our shops and TV adverts as soon as the nights start to draw in. We know that the "real" Christmas is about Jesus and not about buying presents or over-indulging in food and drink. All the same, we do not stand aloof from this "other" Christmas. In fact it is right that we should be there in the thick of the Christmas rush, just as Jesus was born amidst the bustle of a busy, overcrowded town.
It seems to me, the job of Christians is to start where people are, caught up in the commercial Christmas, and to make connections with the genuine Christmas that we know through the Bible and our worship. Like the giving of presents, for instance. For the most part we do not restrict this to people who have earned our gifts in some way. We give to them simply because they are who they are and they mean something to us. That too is why God sent his Son into the world. We did not earn or deserve this. It was an act of unselfish love, given because we mean something to him.
And the over-indulgence? Think of the twelve baskets left over after the feeding of the five thousand. Or the water poured out at baptism. A whole jugful when a few drops would suffice. God is indulgently generous with his love. Many people also try to give their generosity a sense of purpose - by sending charity Christmas cards and so on. As we know, concern for the poor and the stranger is at the heart of the Christmas story.
So, the commercial Christmas actually contains quite a lot of Christianity. Often, though, it is unrecognised, as Jesus was when "he came to his own and his own received him not". When we gather for Christmas worship (the real Christmas party), people can find a purpose and a meaning in all they have been doing during the previous months. Unless those connections are made, Christmas dominated by crowds and hassle can indeed seem rather pointless.
So - go for the real thing. Come and worship.
Peter
PS - Shareene has crossed snowboarding equipment off her Christmas list for this year.