As Christmas day approaches, with the frequent demands to participate in seasonal activities, parties, and shopping for gifts, it’s helpful to remember what the season is all about in the first place. The spiritual reason for the season.
I find comfort in these words from Mary Baker Eddy:
Christmas to me is the reminder of God’s great gift, — His spiritual idea, man and the universe, — a gift which so transcends mortal, material, sensual giving that the merriment, mad ambition, rivalry, and ritual of our common Christmas seem a human mockery in mimicry of the real worship in commemoration of Christ’s coming.
I love to observe Christmas in quietude, humility, benevolence, charity, letting good will towards man, eloquent silence, prayer, and praise express my conception of Truth’s appearing (Miscellany, p. 262).
May your Christmas celebrations be filled with the peace and love of Christ.
Thank you, and I wish that for everyone.
eloquent silence
Quietude – wonderful . Thank you Evan
Thank you, Evan, just what I like to try and do. I love the way you have said what the season is all about: “The spiritual reason for the season”. A great way to put it!
Yes… this encourages me to spend Christmas by our fireplace, reading about and commemorating the appearance to human thought, 2,000 years ago, of the Truth…Christ…in the form of a human babe….heralding the infinite love of the one divine intelligence…reaching into the darkness of human fear…enlightening man-kind with messages of hope and healing….about the truth of our being….and is with us yet in THIS age with its healing message. What a beautiful, permanent gift to all mankind! Thank You, God!!
Christmas the very sweetness of the Christ. glory to glory the very essence of God and His Christ. Evan thankyou and to all much joy
love to all Nancy
I have been taking a word each day ( joy, gratitude, grace, trust, unfoldment, hope, faith etc) to reflect and pray how to understand and express that idea around me for the Christmas season and always. Taking the time to do it has helped me to quietly organize my activities and finding joy with each other. Thank you Evan for all your daily SpiritView blogs. Such an inspiring read each day.
“The quiet gift” By Barbara Vining. From the December 20, 2016 issue of The Christian Science Monitor:
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/A-Christian-Science-Perspective/2016/1220/The-quiet-gift/?src=shared
Christmas Talk – December 23, 2025:
Jesus’ birth in a troubled world: Finding safety in love.
In person and online. By Dr. Shirley Paulson, CS
https://thirdchurchnyc.com/christmas-eve-talk-2025/
J thank you very much for the info about the Christmas lecture at Third Church, looking forward to attending!
You’re welcome Rose. I’m looking forward to it too! 🙂
Thank you for mentioning this. 3rd Church in New York does this every year around this time
Thank you Evan….it’s so important to understand the true meaning of Christmas. For me it is totally about love and giving. But we were given the best present… the knowledge and experience / effect of the Christ in our lives. Not everyone looks at it this way….at least not at present. So we are just grateful they share in human giving…
Thanks for the links J. Spirit View expands the unstoppable giving of good❣️
This very humble way of experiencing the Christ/Love that Jesus
expressed and shared with us all, is precious at this time of year,
especially, but also throughout the year as every day is Christmas –
a day to celebrate – not materially, but the everlasting spiritual
qualities that we all are given by our Father/Mother/God. It is
disheartening to see written sometimes – Merry Xmas, as this
takes the Christ out of Christmas and that is the real and true
meaning, as so wonderfully shared in the messages above. The
Christ/Spirit lives on without beginning or ending and what was present
2,000 years ago is still with us today, in Mrs. Eddy’s time and always.
I love the little book by Mrs. Eddy, “What Christmas means to me”, love her message at the end. “Beloved: – A word to the wise is sufficient. Mother wishes you all a happy Christmas, a feast of Soul and a famine of sense.”
Love that Ines, “a feast of Soul and a famine of sense.” A great recipe for how to live a joyous Life in God.
Thank you, Carol for your inspiring comment, and I agree regarding “Xmas”. It’s also a sort of disrespect of the real Christmas!
Thank you very much, Evan ! I also love that little book with excerpts from Mrs Eddy’s diverse writings about what Christmas means to her.
To the second paragraph of the passage by MBE from Miscellany p. 262 I just would like to ad 2 wonderful expressions belonging to Christmas, to the coming of the CHRIST, namely: Holyness and Joy!
At this holy time I like to enjoy the music by Händel, namely his whole Messiah . I love his music!
Dear J, thank you very much for the article by Barbara Vining. and the announcement of the CS talk on 23rd December in Third Church NEW YORK CITY. That church organizes each Christmas eve such lovlely and inspired celebration with a talk and beautiful Christmas music.
After celebrating with family on Christmas Eve I plan to spend Christmas Day quietly at home alone with my thoughts.