The holidays are the season of “tidings of comfort of joy.” However, often, we become overwhelmed by the abundance of the holidays. The modern Christmas culture screams to get more and do more. Opposite of this—the Cuban holidays offer limited opportunities for gifts, food, decorations, and holiday abundance.
If we reflect on the simplicity of the Cuban Christmas, we can see the true purpose of Christmas—the joy of Christ’s coming. The Cuban Christian experience offers little outside the beauty of the Gospel. However, the joy expressed seen by the people shows they see Christmas as the celebration of Christ’s birth not a drive to receive the most out of this season.
What if the American Christmas experience was stripped back to the simplicity of the Cuban Christmas? Would the American church be willing to see the joy without the burden of Christmas expectations? This Christmas, may we try to sympathize with the Cuban Christmas experience and, in turn, be surprised by the joy of the pure simplicity of Christ’s birth.
