The Reason for the Season

On the drive to my parent's house yesterday we stopped at a gas station for a potty break and the girls talked me into buying a bag of Twizzlers. When the lady in front of us finished paying the cashier gave a a cheerful, "Merry Christmas!" instead of the usual we're-done-with-our-transaction "Have a good day". The lady gave an enthusiastic Merry Christmas back and then followed it with, "And Jesus is the reason for the season! RIGHT???" The cashier looked away and got busy with something but the lady said it over again with even more emphasis and need for validation while we all averted our eyes and fidgeted. It made me think of something that resonated with me a few days ago:

"As a Christian I am uncomfortable with trite phrases like Jesus is the Reason for The Season, and its derivatives, popular within Evangelical Christian culture (the branch of the family tree I identify most strongly with).

Family is my reason for the Christmas season. It's why I cook and gift and want it to snow. And it's why we give to others in our community or around the world, so they can be supported in loving relationship with their families.

Having said that, the Christian call and tradition to remember the birth of Christ at this particular time of year (I don't actually care how accurate the date is) provides a reflective season, a sacred space in our 21st century lives, to tell the ancient story of our faith, again, to our children."
- http://fimby.tougas.net/shes-makin-list-checkin-it-twice-and-talkin-religion#comments

It makes sense to me that Jesus would probably actually be pretty uncomfortable with people insisting that he was the reason for the season. Like he'd be like, "No, no, it's not about me, it's about US."