A story is told of a furry green creature who was mistreated as a child. One Christmas, he was ridiculed for bringing a homemade quirky gift to school for the gift exchange. Children laughed at him and he became the center of all jokes. Yes, he was different and didn’t look the same as the other children, but he did have feelings and he did hurt just like the other kids. His hurt ultimately turned into hate and he eventually became a hater of Christmas. One single event in his life created a path that led to disdain for anything related to Christmas. His name was the Grinch.
Are you a Grinch? Maybe you’re in the same situation. Sometimes, we experience things that cause us to want to forget about Christmas and just move on. Forget the Christmas tree and decorations. There’s going to be no Christmas this year! Bad experiences create 
bad memories. So, how do you keep from being a Grinch this Christmas? With all the strain and stress of getting everything ready for Christmas, just how do you do it all?
If we don’t want to be a Grinch, we should remember and practice these three things:
Christmas is about celebrating Jesus’ birth
The shepherds celebrated Jesus’ birth by coming to see what the angels told them. They were amazed and humbled that a Savior would be born for them. Are you? Are you still in awe that a Savior would be born for you?
Christmas is about celebrating God’s promise
God kept His promise. He said that a Savior would be born of a virgin. God keeps his promises. You know that God still keeps His promises? Celebrate God’s faithfulness.
Christmas is about celebrating Jesus’ purpose
Jesus did not come to earth to live, but to seek and save US who were lost.
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10).
We were Jesus’ purpose. He came for us. He did not come to make a name for Himself and have a rock star following. He came to die for us on the cross. I realize it isn’t Easter, but Christmas is about a Savior coming to the world to seek and save the lost.
If Jesus came to seek and save us, there is no greater thing we can do except worship Him out of gratitude and humility.