What you say to Christians who get all uppity about avoiding the Xmas abbreviation

Ever meet one of those people who says stuff like, "I hate it when they write Xmas instead of Christmas. They're trying to take Jesus right out of the holiday!" Ever wonder how to respond to those people?

Photo courtesy of Kat N.L.M. at Flickr.com

Well take heart. There's a good reason for the abbreviation. And it has nothing to do with Christmas originating from a pagan holiday if that's what you're thinking. The reality is, the Xmas abbreviation is a lot more Christ honoring than most people know.

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5 things you can do this Christmas heal relationships in your family

 My wife just gave me best Christmas present - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation pajamas. I love them because when I was a kid, the Griswald's were a staple in my home. This was largely because of the way they nailed the portrayal of typical family dysfunction. 

Photo courtesy of Edsel Little at flickr.com

The best character in the movie is every family's worst nightmare - Cousin Eddie. He's the absolute personification of American white trash. One of the best scenes in the movie is Eddie standing in the street wearing a bath robe with a cigar and a beer, while he empties his motor home's toilet into the street.

Not everyone has a Cousin Eddie in their family. God save you if you do. But the Holidays are widely known as the time of year that we have to get together with the people in our families with whom we have tension. And that begs the question how do we heal relationships with years of tension and bitterness?

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Merry Oopsmas!

I hope the Christmas services at your church went well. My church did an outdoor service for Christmas Eve, and I made a pretty significant mistake. I gathered our whole church on the dried up winter lawn in front of the church for a candlelight service. It was a beautiful evening. Well, it was beautiful other than one thing.

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Beware Christmas Church Bandits

It's Christmas time in the city. You know what that means - tons of holiday crime. Police departments all over will double or even triple their forces on Christmas Eve. Hollywood has even made efforts to draw awareness to the dangers of Christmas burglary in the stunning action/drama Home Alone.

You just can't be too careful these days. If you work or serve in your church, you have to take extra caution this Christmas.

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