Tag Archives: German

Where are you Christmas?

21 Saturday Dec 2013

Posted by in Life, Love, My Thoughts

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“Where are you Christmas?  Why can’t I find you?” – Faith Hill

The real meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus, where did it go?  It has been replaced by ads for Toys R Us, Best Buy, Apple and more.  The true meaning has been lost among the marketing gurus of today.  Can we find it again?

Look into the eyes of a child, one not old enough to “want”.  Watch their eyes light up along with the colors of the season.  Watch them wonder what it’s all about.  Teach them that Christmas is not about Santa Claus coming down the chimney with a sack of toys.  The real story of Kris Kringle gets lost in all the commercialism of the times, and it’s up to us to guide the young in learning about the Christ child.  That we celebrate His birthday on December 25th.  It isn’t about physical gifts but about the gift of love, the gift of your heart.

Image

Kris Kringle is derived from Christkind, and is different than Santa Claus

A Christmas gift-bringer in Germany. The name “Kris Kringle” is a mispronounciation of the German name; the actual German figure is called “Christkind”, “Christkindchen” or “Christkindl” and is derived from the earlier Christkindl, which was introduced by Martin Luther. All of the German names mean “Christ child” and originally refer to the new-born Jesus.

The figure is distinct in origin and tradition from Santa Claus and Father Christmas. The Christkind (“Christ Child”) is the traditional Christmas giftbringer in Southern Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Südtirol and Liechtenstein. Since the 1990s, the Christkind is facing increasing competition in Germany from the Weihnachtsmann in the American version of Santa Claus.

The Christkind is a sprite-like child, usually depicted with blond hair and angelic wings. Martin Luther intended it to be a reference to the incarnation of Jesus as an infant.

The form “Kris Kringle” is only used in the US. In Germany, it is completely unknown.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kris_Kringle

And yet we continue to promote Santa Claus as the reason behind Christmas. A man in a red suit does not stand for the true meaning of Christmas.  It is all about the birth of Jesus Christ.  We should be celebrating his life.  The electronics can wait another day.
“If there is love in your heart and your mind, you will feel like Christmas all the time…”

Original photo via jodysdevotionaljournal.blogspot.com

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