Christmas Music in November

"Christmastime is here," ring the lyrics from Charlie Brown's Christmas. Depending upon whom you ask, however, you will find a variety of opinions regarding exactly when Christmastime begins. In this age of deep theological debate and the call for doctrinal clarity on a variety of issues, we are today tackling the biggest debate of them all: when can we start playing Christmas music?

This post is written with a tone of mild humor, but I do have some serious thoughts to share. First, let's clarify the players. There is a spectrum of Christmas celebrants within Christianity. Let me draw caricatures of them for you.

On on end, there is the group of people who are counting the minutes for Halloween to end. The second the clock strikes midnight, the pumpkins go in the dumpster and are quickly replaced with wreaths. The house has a constant fire going in the hearth, even when everyone is plenty warm without one. Sweater choice becomes exponentially important. These people give a head nod to Thanksgiving, but they don't slow down enough to stop. They know where their focus ought to be, and that's December 25th. Everything else becomes subservient to this chiefest of holidays. It goes without saying that these people's kitchens and living rooms are lightly filled with the voices of Bing Crosby and others; an ever-present audible reminder of the season.

On the other end, there is a group of people who do not rush to toss out the pumpkins. They let them linger a week or two. The snow may start to fall, yet there is no sudden change in their decor, wardrobe, or song selection. The tide of red and green swarms them at every turn, yet they pay it no attention, like a stubborn hermit who refuses to evacuate his cabin when the forest fire is only half a mile away. They will not, under any circumstances, intentionally expose their ears or the ears of their loved ones to Christmas music until Thanksgiving gets its fair share of attention. They are committed. They are stalwart. 

To be clear, both kinds of Christians will make it to heaven. I don't think there will be separate neighborhoods in glory based upon whether you started listening to Christmas music November 1st or December 1st. However, I do want to make a case that it is good and appropriate to celebrate Christmas as early as your conscience and eardrums will allow.

I am one of the people in the first camp, as are the members of my family. If you come over this month or next, you'll be confronted with Christmas in a way that either thrills or annoys you. We make no apologies. Let me use the remainder of this lighthearted post to make my case. Even if you oppose November Christmas music, I do hope this will help you to soften toward those of us who get excited early. Who knows? Perhaps your heart will grow three sizes this day.

I have three major reasons you should celebrate Christmas in a long-winded, stretched-out sort of way. Here they are!

First of all, I hope it goes without saying that Christmas is fundamentally unlike every other celebration. It is not one day seated among the pantheon of days, sharing prestige with Earth Day, Kwanzaa, and Oktoberfest. There is nothing in this universe that will ever compare with the reality that God took on human nature and came to dwell among his people. Nothing, and I mean nothing comes close. Not even Leif Erikson Day.

The Western World used to understand this a lot more than they do now. In fact, the Advent of Jesus was seen as such a big deal that time itself was reframed to always point back to the human birth of the immortal God. Next year is 2025. 2025 years since what? ...Exactly.

You may really love Washington's Birthday, Valentine's Day, or any other cultural festivity (don't get me wrong - some of those are really good to observe), but let's be clear: Immanuel (God with us) takes the cake. Every time. God bridged the gap between Himself and His creatures so that he might save them from sin and the consequences of sin. I'm sorry, but even Mother's Day doesn't hold a candle to that. Because this day stands out above all the rest, I argue that it deserves special treatment. 

The second reason we should start celebrating Christmas early is because of the nature of Christmas itself. The advent of Jesus was not just a great thing, but a greatly anticipated thing.

It is no exaggeration to say that the arrival of Jesus was the most anticipated event in the Scriptures. While this is not the place for a thorough treatment of this, let me just reference you to Genesis 3, Genesis 49, Deuteronomy 18, 2 Samuel 7, Psalm 2, Psalm 22, Psalm 24, Psalm 72, Psalm 110, Isaiah 9, Isaiah 40, Isaiah 53, Daniel 7, Malachi 3, and others. There is a reason that Israel was on the lookout for a Messiah to come and save them at the time Jesus arrived. Some of them had paid attention in Sunday School and picked up on the repeated promises of God. Even Herod's goons were able to discern that a King would be born in Bethlehem.

Again, anticipation is built into Christmas. Our songwriters over the centuries understood this. This short sampling of Christmas song lyrics should ring a few bells (pun intended):

Come, thou long-expected Jesus...

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel...

Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing...

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb...

Part of celebrating the Advent of Jesus is to join in on the anticipation. Think about this: God promised Abraham that his seed would bring blessing to the nations. That was clear back in Genesis 12! The world waited for centuries for God to bring the fullness of his promise. By celebrating not just a day, but an entire season, we are recreating (to a degree) the waiting that preceded the arrival of greatest gift ever given.

If you are one who waits until December 23rd to celebrate Christmas, you are not only missing out yourself, but I would argue you are sending a message that makes very little of the anticipatory nature of Christ's arrival. 

Here's the last reason you should start playing Christmas music right now.
Christmas is not something that we celebrate for a day but then are able to put out of our minds the rest of the year. The reason this is true is because Christmas changed everything. I don't just mean "everything" for those of us religious types. It changed the world as we know it, and will continue to do so until Christ returns.

God coming to dwell with us changed the trajectory of history. If you want to think about human history as a two-part play, that would be appropriate. In Act One, Adam represented people and led them into sin and death (Rom. 5:12). In Act Two, Jesus comes as a better representative to bring life to all who trust in him (Rom. 5:15). Jesus would live a life of righteousness, which counts for all his people, and he would die in their place, taking their penalty for sin. He would rise again, claiming a definitive victory over sin and death and assuring us life everlasting where darkness will not follow. All of this began to take form when Jesus was born in Bethlehem that first Christmas night.

How far-reaching are the effects of Jesus and his work? Well, what does the Bible say? Here's a common passage from many Christmas cards:

Isaiah 9:6–7
[6] For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
[7] Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

In short, Jesus' influence and rule will only increase. In fact, they will know no end. How can we be sure this will happen? God himself will see to it.
The heralding of Jesus and his gospel still continues today. His rule and reign are still increasing, just like Isaiah promised. As the old song says, "He comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found."

Shouldn't the event that has defined all history be a big deal to us? I would say it should. I would urge you to celebrate early and celebrate hard. For the sake of your own heart and the world, let them know that the trajectory of history changed when the king was born. I'm not saying you have to embrace every cheap, pop-culture Christmas gimmick. But I would argue that you should celebrate, and do so visibly.

Don't attach any shame to the music in your kitchen or the fudge in your fridge. Don't apologize for the nutcracker on the mantle or the wreath on the door. Wear your sweater out in public (yes, the one with the actual jingle bells attached) and smile every time you say "Merry Christmas." I realize some of those things I mentioned have nothing to do with Christ directly, and that's ok. We exist within a culture, and it's alright to adopt those cultural tokens while reminding people of the greater meaning behind the festivities.

As I said at the start, this is a lighthearted post. No one is going to get in trouble if they don't start caroling. However, I do hope you give some thought to Christmas and what it truly is. If nothing else, I hope there is a greater appreciation or understanding for those who jump into the season with joy (even if we do so a bit early by your estimation).

Speaking of the Charlie Brown Christmas, I think I'll watch it tonight.
And for the record, I will still be eating Thanksgiving Dinner.

Merry Christmas, everyone!