The third helper with a Christmas God-Connection now stepped forward. She was wearing shorts, a t-shirt and had an amazing tan! Everyone was curious about how she got such a great tan in the winter, and why she was dressed in summer clothes. She explained that at Yellowstone National Park they celebrate Christmas in August! This had been a tradition at the park for many years.
No one is sure how this tradition got started. There is a story that between the late 1800’s and the 1930’s a group of people got stranded at the Old Faithful Inn at the park by a summer blizzard for several days. Since they had so much snow, they decided to celebrate Christmas in August, and it became a tradition. It is a great story, but it probably is not true. The Old Faithful Inn was not even built in the late 1800’s, and the weather records do not show any severe summer blizzards in any August which would have stranded people for several days.
It is more likely that the tradition of Christmas in August started with the college-age employees of the park. These college-age workers were given the nickname of ‘savages’ by the regular employees. The college-age workers decided to have a party at the end of summer before they went back to school. The party was called the ‘Savage Christmas’, and it was celebrated for several years. The park management thought that the name ‘Savage Christmas’ might give the wrong impression to the tourists, so they calmed down the celebration and changed the name to Christmas in August.
No matter how the tradition got started, Christmas in August is a highlight of the summer in Yellowstone Park. They decorate, sing songs, and there is even a visit by Santa!
Application for you and me:
The helper said that the God-Connection that she found is that the celebration of Christmas should not be confined to just December 25th, Christians should celebrate the birth of Christ all year long! Being a followers of Jesus (a Christian) is not something that is just done once a year or even once a week, being a Christian is a daily adventure. The Bible tells us the importance of living for God every day, not just once in a while.
In the Bible in the book of I Thessalonians 5:12-25 it says:
Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other. Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil. Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful. Dear brothers and sisters, pray for us.
These verses describe many things that a follower of Jesus should do all the time. Too many people only pay attention to God at Christmas and Easter, but that is not the way it should be. Following Jesus is something that should be done every day. This sounds impossible, but with God nothing is impossible! At the end of the Bible passage that you just read, it says that God will make all these things happen because He is faithful! Each of us need to go to God with a sincere heart and ask Him to give us the strength and ability to live for Him in a way that pleases Him!
Have a very Merry Christmas and decide to follow Jesus every day!