That's What Christmas Is All About

My favorite scene in television history comes in Charlie Brown's Christmas Special. In this scene, Charlie Brown is feeling empty and frustrated because Christmas has become commercialized and seems to have lost its meaning. Obviously agitated, he screams, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?!" Linus then walks on the stage, calmly says, "Lights please," and tells us why we celebrate Christmas.

We asked some of our students at UCS to answer the same question Charlie Brown asked. Below are some of the answers we received, in no particular order. Some of the shorter answers by the younger students prove to be as profound as the others. Some are funny, some are touching, all are thought-provoking. And, it's a beautiful thing to see that UCS students are as in-tune with the true meaning of Christmas as Linus.

We have a lot of responses, so we'll add some more tomorrow. Here is what some of our students had to say:

"Christmas means a lot to me, but the most important thing is Jesus. And that it's better to give than to receive."

"Christmas means time with family and peace. It is a day where race and works are put aside."

"Christmas means loving God and the one and only savior. Christmas means thinking of family and friends."

"Christmas is all about Jesus, not Santa or presents or candy or all the material things that come with Christmas. Jesus is a gift to us from God. God gave us His only Son. If Jesus wouldn't have been born, then He wouldn't have been crucified or resurrected, and no one would be forgiven and Christians wouldn't have victory. Christmas is a celebration of Jesus' birth and a gift from God. It's a sign of hope, love, faith, fear, humbleness and of God Himself. Christmas means a lot."

"Christmas is a wonderful time when we are given a chance to receive and give blessings during the time of celebration of the greatest gift of all...Jesus."

"Christmas means to me that Jesus was born. When he got older and was a young man, he died on the cross for my sins."

"The meaning of Christmas is of the birth of Christ and His coming to the earth. Our one and only savior was born on Christmas day for all to celebrate every year."

"It's a time for followers of Jesus Christ to celebrate the time when their savior came as a baby boy, starting on his journey to save us. It's also a time to rejoice and spread the good news of Jesus Christ."

"Christmas is a time to give Jesus our heart."

"Christmas is my favorite time of year. It is a joyous time where we remember Christ's birth and share our love with others. I enjoy spending the holiday with my friends and family."

"Christmas to me means the birth of Christ. Also, it's the best time of year for me and my mom to bond. Ever since I can remember, Christmas was the best time of year. My mom and I would put up lights together and sing Christmas songs. My favorite part was always the tree. I loved decorating the tree."

"Christmas is very special to me because it's Jesus' birthday."

"Christmas is about giving - God's gift to us and how we pass that gift along to others. Christmas is a birthday."

"When we think of Christmas, we think of toys, reindeer and Santa Claus. The true significance of Christmas, in my opinion, is it's the time when all of the family comes together and drops all of the negatives and focuses on the positives. Everyone is filled with the joy of the Christmas spirit."

"I like Christmas because it's Jesus' birthday. I like Christmas because you get presents."

"What I enjoy most about Christmas is the reflection upon the hope that was born to us."

"Christmas means to me that my granddaddy get to be Cold Saint Nic...and another thing it means to me is that I have to let my cats in."

"The significance of Christmas is not about the presents and decorations. Christmas is a celebration of God becoming incarnate. He humbled Himself to come to earth and die for us. He was our substitutional atonement. Without Him coming to earth, our punishment would be Hell. So, it's not about the gifts we give and receive, but about the greatest gift that was given to us from God."

"Christmas to me means a time of giving and spending time with family. It is also a time to think about how little we deserve, but really we get so much. It's a time to thank God for sending his Son to us."

"Christmas means to me Jesus, because he was born on Christmas. And also neat colors, because red is my favorite color."

"I like Christmas because of Jesus' birth and being with your family."

"My dad's whole family has a feast and we celebrate Jesus' birthday. My mom's whole family comes to our house and we open up presents and we pray to God."

"Christmas means to me God died on a cross and rose again."


By the way, here's Linus' response to Charlie Brown:

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"

And that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Mickey Seward
Associate Director of Development