How to Celebrate Christmas? - STEEMITACHIEVERS 2K WORDS BLOG WRITING COMPETITION | THEME: "CHRISTMAS"

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

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All of us get the chance to wake up every day and cherish every moment of being alive for everything is temporary and has its end. Therefore, we are reminded to always live life to the fullest and give our best shot in everything that we do. God has sent to us his son to let us experience what life is and what it has to offer.

Merry Christmas, friends, countrymen, Steemians and fellow Steemit Achievers!! This is the best time of the year to spread love and positivity in all corners. Let us not forget the true meaning of its celebration- to thank our Almighty Father for the gift of life and for all the blessings that we get every single day.

I woud just like to thank @long888 for initiating this SteemitAchievers’ blog writing contest with the subject “Christmas”. It’s a good way to end this wonderful year. And everything I write here is what I think best describes what Christmas is all about.

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Christmas season is here and I am about to unveil its real essence, through this post, for many people celebrate Christmas not the way on how it should supposed to be celebrated. They don’t still realize and inculcate in their minds that it is not about the gifts they receive under the tree, the lights and decors in every house, buffet dinners with family and friends, and monetary benefits from jobs but rather it’s about giving back to the Lord our saviour through living life the way he wants for us.

I defined Christmas in different forms for it is a broad context which needs an in-depth understanding. As I narrowed down the broadest definitions of this word, I ended up categorizing them into three:

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1. Christmas is a time of great joy and not of sorrow.

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There are millions of people in the world who still suffer poverty and are hungry and starving. Christmas for them is an ordinary day. Nothing is really special to it. For them it adds sadness or feelings of sorrow because they see other people enjoying while they are lacking of everything. But seeing it that way makes you feel less of a human. If only people realize how lucky they are to live in this world, then probably they would see how precious Christmas is. It’s not about the problem that’s on the table, but it is us who do nothing to solve it. Moreover, being able to know about the reason of everything that has happened in life is something that could calm you down. As others say, “Everything happens for a reason. It is all God’s plans”. There is always an end in every circumstance and all of us have to dwell with it.

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For people who are more blessed, this time becomes a reminder for them to share and care for others who have less. It is never only on this special day that they can help others but every day is an opportunity to be generous in return of all the blessings they get. By that, they become the blessing for others. It is one of the reasons why there is Christmas- to be an instrument of God to lend a helping hand to others who are in need.

Finding the real joy in Christmas is not through thinking how unfortunate we are of having a poor life. We find real joy through acceptance and striving hard to survive. There is always someone out there who will help you in times of downfall but it is only you who can lift yourself up. Other people are just assisting you going up there to where you are heading to. Just keep the faith and constantly find happiness in each and every day.

The people around you- your family, friends, relatives, neighbours, schoolmates and workmates- are your easiest sources of happiness. Proven that money can’t just simply buy the happiness you need for a day. Just a good conversation and laughter with these people are enough to make your Christmas complete especially with the guidance of our Almighty Father.

2. Christmas is about the Love for all.

Christmas is all about loving one another. As the song of The Jackson 5 with the lyrics, “Give love on Christmas Day, No greater gift is there than love”, tells us that nothing is more relevant to Christmas than offering one’s love to others. It can be expressed in so many different forms; you just have to be natural and true to yourself and to others.

They say that Christmas is in the air when they see decors, gifts and all types of festivities everywhere but when there is love, it’s another level of significance to the celebration. Love becomes the essence of the season. It does only mean that having quality time with your family, friends and neighbours is the real deal. Everybody shall keep in mind that for you to be able to cherish the moment, you got to have to spend it with your loved ones. For God, he pours his love onto us through these people. He gives his purest love in extra measure. Indeed, No greater gift is there than love from our Almighty Father, up above.

Love came down at Christmas;
Love all lovely, love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Stars and angels gave the sign.
—Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830–1894)

No one is exempted in the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ who is sent in this world to save all of us. His existence is the very reason why we are still here waking up and doing our everyday routine. For without his sacrifices and sufferings, we wouldn’t be able to experience the most wonderful gift we all have ever received from him- the gift of life. In exchange for that, the only thing we can offer to him is our love to his creations and masterpieces. One of which is the humankind. Let us all give love to one another and share the same love and mercy that God has given us, especially to those who are less fortunate. This is the time to widely open our hearts to others and make the celebration of Christmas more meaningful not just for us but for other people.

Truly, Christmas is for everyone to celebrate. Whatever your race, gender, colour or religion are, if you are feeling blissful and loved in this wonderful season then Christmas is taking over the atmosphere. It doesn’t only come with the feeling but the idea of having God, in our hearts and minds, is the real intention why this needs to be celebrated.

3. Christmas is simply GOD.

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Brigham Young:
"Love the giver more than the gift."

It is not just about worshipping and praising God but it is also about what you constantly do, in return for his kindness and holiness, to the people in the community and everybody that surrounds. All of us are his sons and daughters and we are here to have harmonious relationship and to help one another. By that we are proving to him that he did not fail in allowing us to live our lives because we are doing something good and right in this world. Above all, it is one of the most important things we should not forget. As Eric Sevareid said, “There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves and it is Christmas”.

For Christians, the Son of Man came to seek and to save all of us- the lost ones. The lost who have sinned and being saved by him through dying on a cross and suffer for the consequences of the sinfulness. He did that because of his love towards us. Indeed, No one would do such sacrificial act, for the sake of everybody, other than him. He rose, one day, from the dead and proved to everyone his mission of saving all the sinners from being sinful. Through his mighty name, those who believe in him shall be forgiven. That is how powerful he is and this Christmas is the very day to pay respect and give thanks to him.

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow pas-sengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. —Charles Dickens (1812–1870)

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All my life, especially when I was a little child, I believed that Christmas was a day to just be happy and to not deal with stress from school and home works anymore, but then as I grew up I realized that there was much more meaning in the celebration of it. God has sacrificed a lot to save the humankind. He embraced all of our flaws and misdeeds and forgave us. He never even rejected us for it.
Truly, he is our Almighty Father who is always ready to protect us and catch us when we fall. Whenever there are problems and struggles that we encounter in our way, he is there to guide us all the way out.
There is never an instant solution to a problem for the only way out is through. You have to experience some failures before you become successful. That’s the way God has created for us to strive and become better versions of ourselves. Just like what he did for us, he suffered on the cross and died but then later on he rose and saved all of us.

This is a blog I made for all of us to rethink and give more time to appreciate how incredible our God is. Despite our differences in culture and religion, I know that we still believe in one God and that is Him who saved us from our sinfulness in this world.

Thank you for reading till here! I hope this is some kind of informative to you but on this part I will be sharing to you how we celebrate Christmas here in the Philippines!

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Christmas season remains to be the time of the year that is most counted upon by every Filipino every year because of the good tidings it brings and joyful vibes it bears. It captivates a special place in the hearts of Filipinos as it brings happy memories, unique traditions and most especially delectable dishes. Yes! You heard it we have lots of it here in the Philippines! See the photos below.

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Christmas is celebrated the longest in the Philippines than any other part in the world; trees and decors with lavish light displays are up as early as September and down after New Year celebration. Other Cities and Barangays (a smaller unit/ division) even organize contests for the Most Creative and Beautiful Christmas displays. Shown below is the Christmas Symbols Capital of the Philippines- Tangub City, Mindanao.

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You can also hear Christmas Carols everywhere. Mostly, children do it every night at every house and they will ask for an “aguinaldo” or some money or treats in return. Santa Claus is also a famous Christmas character in the Philippines due to the influence of the Western Countries. That is why Filipino children still believe in hanging of socks and wait for Santa for the gift.

One of the most populous countries in Asia, the Philippines is an overwhelmingly Christian nation where several masses are held at early dawn called the “Simbang Gabi” from December 16 to 24 as a Filipino tradition every Christmas. Filipinos who follow it have to wake up as early as 2 AM to attend the masses on time.

Aside from being so busy preparing for the gifts, decors and food for Christmas, Filipinos never forget to pray and give thanks to the Lord.

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Merry Christmas and Advance Happy New Year to everyone!! Hope you had a great time reading this blog! God bless us all! :)

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