Merry Christmas or “Bah, Humbug”?

Last Sunday, Sharon and I went to the presentation of Scrooge (the musical) at the Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso. We always enjoy the local theatre presentations. In the play, beyond the showcasing of local talent, the character Ebeneezer Scrooge is a persona that most people recognize. His famous phrase, “Christmas, bah humbug!” has become synonymous with a curmudgeon who doesn’t believe in Christmas.

When Scrooge repeatedly calls Christmas “humbug,” {Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines humbug as “something designed to deceive and mislead”} it’s because he believes the holiday fits the bill in more ways than one. He thinks Christmas tricks people into feeling cheerful and thankful when they have nothing to feel cheerful about or thankful for. “'What reason have you to be merry?' He asks his nephew.”

Scrooge is also of the mind that society uses Christmas as an excuse to wrangle money out of wealthy people like him. Basically, Dickens’s curmudgeonly character considers Christmas a financial and emotional scam on a global scale—a humbug any way you slice it.

Is Scrooge right? His question made me think… what reasons do I have to be merry at Christmas time?

I have lots of reasons to be merry; and I try not to let the commercialization of this holiday overshadow the “reason for the season.” We are in the season of Advent, that four-week period during which Christians from all denominations celebrate and focus on the anticipation of waiting for the arrival of Jesus.  During this important event on the church calendar, each week of Advent focuses on a different theme - hope, peace, joy, and love. We celebrate it annually as a reminder of the gift that is Jesus.

Let’s not get caught up in the secular elements of Christmas to the extent that we forget what Christmas is about. Let us enjoy each other’s company at worship and let it be a collective celebration as a church family. Let’s be ‘merry’ …together.

Blessings to all, and I look forward to seeing many of you during this season of Advent.

Jim Hubbard