Christmas

Did Santa Claus Screw Up Your Psychology?

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment
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Santa Claus is a pretty messed up dude.

Morbidly obese. Unrepentant home invader. Does he even pay all those elves for their overtime?

Santa’s worst crime just might be how he’s forever screwed up our psychology.

Santa Claus operates on the code of the Naughty or Nice list. If kids behave all year they end up on the Nice list and are promised presents. If they end up on the Naughty list their stocking will be filled with coal.

This is a pretty genius tactic parents have used for generations to encourage their kids to behave well throughout the year.

As children we grow up with this psychology of getting rewarded for our good deeds. “Being Good = Presents” in our brains.

The problem comes when we confuse God with Santa Claus. Continue reading →

The Best Christmas Movie You’ve Never Heard Of

/ Alex Doriot / 2 Comments

tumblr_lvk7rfN2UM1qzb1qio1_500A Christmas Story. Miracle on 34th Street. A Charlie Brown Christmas. It’s A Wonderful Life. 

All undeniable classics.

Let’s face it though – there’s some really strange, really bad Christmas “classics” that get trotted out every year.

Have you watched Frosty The Snowman lately? It’s just…weird. The Santa Clause is fantastic, but unfortunately The Santa Clause 2 and 3 exist. Vince Vaughn allegedly made a couple of movies called Fred Claus and Four Christmases, but I haven’t seen them and I’d like to continue pretending they’re not real thank you very much.

It makes me sad every year when crappy Christmas movies make the cut and underrated gems become further lost to time.

So I made it a point to spend one day writing about the Best Christmas Movie You’ve Never Seen – Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas. Continue reading →

Why I Give My Dog Christmas Presents

/ Alex Doriot / 3 Comments

photo-8Every year I buy my dog a Christmas present. 

You might think I’m foolish.

You are more than welcome to your opinion and you may in fact be right.

I mean, I recently quit my full time job. I’m only working a part time seasonal job right now. I’ve got a house to pay for, Christmas presents to buy for family and friends, and all my other bills to worry about.

It’s probably not wise for me to ration out any of my money for a Christmas present for a dog.

After all, he has no idea there’s a new toy and a bag of treats wrapped up with his name on it waiting underneath the Christmas tree.

Christmas will be just another day for him. I’ll open the gift for him, he’ll enjoy it momentarily, then go back to thinking about whatever it is dogs think about.

So why bother? Continue reading →

Merry Christmas From Conan and The Boss

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi9kvO2zL2E

(Click Here if you can’t see the video above)

You thought I’d go all Christmas season without writing about Bruce Springsteen?

Did someone ring your Jingle Bells too hard?

Here’s “Merry Christmas Baby” from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band with an assist from Conan O’Brien on guitar.

Yes. Conan O’Brien playing guitar with the E Street Band. If that doesn’t say Christmas, I don’t know what does.

Christmas is a time of celebration. It’s a time of gathering and singing together with everyone around. It’s about inviting people who wouldn’t normally be there into the joy.

Think about it – it wasn’t just Jesus, Mary and Joseph who made the Christmas story possible. God invited three wise men to come out of the East and play a part. He invited an ordinary innkeeper to play a role. He invited the manager of a lowly manger to provide a home for the newborn king.

Ordinary people invited into the extraordinary celebration of the newborn king. Now that’s something to sing about.

If you’re having a humbug kind of day – stop. Breathe. Watch the video. Or find your favorite Christmas song.

Sing along. Take a few minutes to take it all in and consider all the reasons you have to celebrate. Remember God is inviting you to come off the sidelines today and join an incredible story.

Happy Friday.

Merry Friday.

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Are You Ignoring The Gifts Right In Front Of You?

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I’ve never been the most observant person. I will swear up and down I’ve lost my keys or wallet or favorite hat forever before realizing they’re on the floor right next to me.

Never have I been more oblivious than I was Christmas morning in the 4th Grade.

After all the unwrapping was complete, my parents tasked me with taking the trash outside to the garbage can.

Now, I wasn’t completely oblivious to the giant covered object in the center of the garage as I walked toward the garbage can. I did notice a some strange blob where one had never been before. But I wasn’t assuming this mysterious object was for me. Perhaps it was just a lawnmower under repair?

My parents were waiting for me back in the living room. I calmly came back inside and sat down to examine my gifts. The eager smiles on my parents’ faces turned to confusion.

“Did you notice anything unusual in the garage?” they questioned me. I mentioned the mystery mound I passed by on the way to the trash. My parents laughed and suggested I look under the sheet.

What I found was perhaps the best Christmas present ever. It looked something like this: Continue reading →

How To Give The Best Kind Of Gift

/ Alex Doriot / 3 Comments

GUEST POST: Today’s contributor to POP GOD Christmas is my friend Sean Taylor. Sean is the Pastor of Chandler Baptist Church of Missouri. Sean was also a mentor to me when I first began pursuing ministry. I always said we should write a book together and blogging together is getting pretty close to that. Sean is one my favorite writers and blogs at Plunge47.org. Check him out, subscribe to his blog, and enjoy his contribution to POP GOD:

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We celebrated my daughter Darcy’s second birthday this week. The first gift she opened was a Disney mobile phone and purse.

She was so excited she did not want to open other presents. Instead, she screamed until we opened up the box and got out her plastic treasures. Eventually we coaxed her to tear open the other gifts… Continue reading →

What To Remember When It Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas

/ Alex Doriot / 2 Comments

What is Christmas supposed to feel like?

Living in Georgia the past 20-some-odd years, I’m beginning to wonder.

Growing up I’ve always thought Christmas was supposed to be feel like winter, interchangeable with snowflakes and hot chocolate and wool sweaters.

So how come it’s December 9 and still 75 degrees outside? Continue reading →

Finding Your Home For The Holidays

/ Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

(Click Here if you can’t see the video above.)

Christmas is a time of celebration. Bright lights. Shiny presents. Milk and cookies.

It’s also the time for a new Christmas single from The Killers.

The Killers have long been one of my favorite bands. Back in 2006 they started a tradition of releasing an original Christmas single each year to benefit (RED), a charity which distributes life-saving medicines to those with HIV and AIDS in Africa.

Some of the singles sounds like classic Christmas tunes. Some are quirky and stylish. Some, like this year’s “Christmas In L.A.” featuring another of my favorite bands Dawes, are thoughtful and introspective and a little sad.

“Christmas In L.A.” is the tale of a struggling actor (played in the video by Owen Wilson) stuck in the doldrums of Los Angeles who can’t afford to make it back home for December 25.

Sometimes my girlfriend gets onto me for having so much depressing Christmas music on my holiday playlists. But, to quote Sir Elton John, sad songs say so much. Continue reading →

How To Avoid The Worst Christmas Ever

/ Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Let me tell you about the worst Christmas present I ever opened.

My parents would sometimes allow me the scandalous privilege of opening up one present on Christmas eve. One year when I was 9 or 10 my eyes were drawn to a curious cylindrical package. With approval from my parents, I was able to open this gift early.

Filled with the giddy excitement of getting a head start on Christmas, I made confetti out of the wrapping paper.

Then, my heart sank. Continue reading →

The One Phrase The Church Needs To Retire This Christmas

/ Alex Doriot / 2 Comments

394824_10152361249895427_1009312309_nIf a bell rings and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound?

If a Salvation Army bell ringer stands outside a department store all day and not a single cent drops into the bucket, was it really worth the ringer’s time and effort?

If a church holds a rally and not a single soul gets saved, was it worth the church’s time and effort?

Many of us have been to a church-sponsored camp, revival or other event where we heard a speaker attempt to rouse a reluctant crowd, saying, “If only one person chooses to follow Christ tonight, then all of our work here will have been worth it.”

But what if no one came forward that night? What if no one chose to give their life to Jesus at that rally? Was the work still worth it? Continue reading →