Christmas can bring a strange mix of hope and frustration. Some of us hope for delightful gifts, others for exciting parties. You might call it a “Christmas Obligation” – to find great fun.

You must give the right gifts and get the right gifts. You must serve the right meal and entertain the right guests. To do any less is a failure to meet the Christmas obligation.

Television reminds viewers that even a self-serving Scrooge can be reconciled with estranged family members on Christmas day. All must be wonderful in the family – its part of the Christmas obligation.

Yet, for many of us it will not be this way. Some will long for the touch of a deceased loved one. Others will spend far too much time alone. Families will be dysfunctional in many creative and complicated ways. Few will experience the perfect Christmas holiday.

So, rather than restlessly looking for a “Wonderful Life” holiday, we might enjoy the time more if we lower our expectations and look for a Christmas that is simply “pretty good”: some fun, some solitude, some giving, and some receiving.

And then, at some point, find a quiet place to reflect on the one whose birthday we celebrate. Forget about Christmas obligations for a while. Rest and reflect on the God who gave the gift of light and life everlasting. As you allow the Prince of Peace to replace compelling notions of Christmas obligation, you will gather a taste of the joy of Christ and the meaning of Christmas.