Can You Get Happiness for Christmas?

In the last few days before Christmas, many people are focusing on what they want to get to make them happy. But can presents make us truly happy?

So many people look forward to the gifts they will receive for Christmas. After the day has finally passed, however, just how happy do their new presents make them—and for how long? What does the Bible say about focusing on physical treasures and happiness?

In order to have eternal happiness, Christians need to focus on something different.

Getting “stuff”

“So, when do you get all your stuff?” a college student asked me. I was at a college outing at a restaurant. What had started as a casual inquiry had turned into full-fledged disbelief that I did not celebrate Christmas. She was shocked I did not seem more distraught about not getting presents.

“I don’t know what I would do without Christmas. That’s when I get all my junk! Do your parents amp up your birthday to make up for it? Do you just have a delayed Christmas? So you are telling me you don’t get anything?!”

She was so rattled about it that she continued to talk about what she would miss if she did not keep Christmas: decorating, partying, eating and shopping. Not once did she mention the so-called “reason for the season”—the birthday of Christ, which most people think is on Dec. 25. (For more on the origin of Christmas, see “Christmas: Should Christians Celebrate It?”)

This discussion just reemphasized to me the greedy nature of Christmas. When it is finally all over, people will probably talk about how cheap someone was, how they hated the gift someone gave them, or how someone forgot to give them a gift.

It strikes me that the “spirit” of Christmas does not produce much happiness, even if a person gets a lot of new items.

Solomon could have told them that

King Solomon had great riches, and he could have bought anything his heart desired. His home was filled with “decorations” of gold, silver and precious stones. He probably threw some lavish “parties” with lots of food to eat. Yet he came to this conclusion in Ecclesiastes 1:2: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

I’m sure the girl from my college would disagree with Solomon’s conclusion. The society we live in is so materialistic. A recent sermon I heard talked about how, as Christians, we should be careful not to take things for granted and to keep a happy attitude. Of course, there are times when we are not happy, such as when someone close to us dies or when we face times of great stress. However, we should not be perpetually unhappy and negative.

Since Solomon said riches do not make a person happy, what can help us keep a positive Christian attitude?

What we need to remember

We should keep in mind the words of Paul in Philippians 4:11-13: “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Paul kept a positive attitude throughout his trials and did not take anything for granted. He did not need material things to rejoice and be glad. He found strength, contentment and happiness through God.

Physical or spiritual treasure?

According to Solomon and Paul, the amount of possessions one has does not mean a thing. According to the girl at school, possessions mean everything. Why did Solomon say all was vanity? Why is my colleague consumed with this man-made holiday?

I found they both have a common point. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

Sadly, the girl at my school serves as the negative side of this principle. Her “treasure” is built upon material things. She thinks her happiness and contentment are based on how much stuff she has. Without physical things, she would be an unhappy and negative person. She is missing a critical part of the true meaning of life and happiness. She is only living halfway.

“All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled” (Ecclesiastes 6:7, Modern King James Version). Only God can fill our inner needs; and unfortunately, so many people live just halfway and labor only for their physical self.

As Christians, we must be sure to live wholly. The spiritual part of life must direct all other parts of life. The physical cannot help our spiritual well-being, yet our spiritual life can affect our physical life.

I have heard countless stories of how tithing has actually helped financial situations. Resting on the Sabbath gives us time to take a break from the stresses we have during the week. Obeying the dietary laws in the Bible has been scientifically found to be a healthier way of living. Yet so many people put God on the back burner and try to live life first.

John warns us about this mind-set in 1 John 2:15-17: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

Solomon’s example

Solomon tried living both ways. He started out right: He asked for wisdom instead of wealth, built the temple of God and judged righteously. He was doing well until he disobeyed God and married women from foreign lands with foreign gods. They turned his heart from God, and he worshipped their gods. He lived according to the ways of this world. Is it possible that finally, after much sorrow and regret, he returned to living God’s way?

In Ecclesiastes, he talks about physical pleasure, wealth and knowledge. At the end, he concludes that none of it means anything without God.

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

So let’s be sure to put God first and build up treasures for His soon-coming Kingdom. Do not be absorbed in obtaining temporary happiness in “things,” like the girl at my school seemed to be. By choosing to follow God and do right, we can have eternal happiness.

Camille Reding is a pre-vet sophomore at Sweet Briar College and attends the Roanoke, Virginia, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.

Read more about the true meaning of life and how to achieve true happiness in the Life, Hope & Truth section on “What Is the Meaning of Life?”