Lessons We Can All Learn From Cheesy Christmas Movies...#3 Be Genuine

Watching Christmas movies has been a part of our family holiday traditions since I was a little girl. When I was growing up, we watched "It's a Wonderful Life" so many times that I can literally recite it. Every year, on a cold Saturday afternoon, Jamie, my Mom, and I would watch "White Christmas." To this day, while Jamie's watching football, I still spend a Sunday afternoon each year watching the black-and-white classics "Holiday Affair" and "Christmas in Connecticut."

Ironically, one of the things I've noticed is that many of the Christmas movies being mass-produced today are based (or stolen) from these classic films.

For instance, "Christmas in Connecticut" is about a single woman who writes a magazine column about her perfect life as a wife, mother, homemaker, and cook. Essentially, she's the Martha Stewart of her time—doing every element of the holiday perfectly—except for the fact that it's all a lie. She's a great writer with a fantastic imagination. While women all over the country are trying to live up to her ideal, none of it is true. Everything is good until her publisher invites himself and a war hero to spend Christmas at her made-up house with her made-up family.

I don't have to tell you what happens next, because you've probably seen the whole thing in a different version of the Christmas movie. They put on a big show—everything falls apart—and she's forced to admit the truth about her life.

Over the years, this plot has been retold again and again. Two of my favorite versions this year are "X-mas" on Hallmark and "Joy to the World" on Hulu. (Check them out.)

But here's the thing—the other night, while I was watching "Joy to the World", I started thinking that maybe the reason this plot is so popular is because it's so applicable and timeless.

How can this be since most of us don't have our own magazine column, movie, or television show?

Yeah, that's true. Yet, we all have social media. In a way, every day we put out our own little version of the movie of our life. Let's be honest, most of us don't keep the camera running when things get messy.

We cut, we edit, we filter.

We only show the good—the successes, the beautiful.

We hide the mess, the chaos, and the imperfection.

Like a movie shoot where they only show what they want seen on camera, while hiding the equipment and behind-the-scenes work, we tend to put out a version of ourselves that makes others think we have everything together, while hiding our true selves.

No, I'm not saying that you need to put every detail of our lives on social media—God forbid!

I'm asking if we would all be a little happier, less stressed, and more at peace if we were more GENUINE.

Would people be more drawn to us and to Jesus if we took off our "I'm perfect" masks and shared our imperfect testimonies?

What if we stopped trying to make everything look perfect and just accepted that nothing and no one is perfect?

Honestly, I don't have all the answers to this question, but it's important for us to search our hearts and find out what it means for all of us.

Are there areas of our lives where we are doing our own version of "Christmas in Connecticut" when God would rather we be open and honest, sharing the testimony of the amazing work that His grace has played in our lives?

Are there areas where we need to be more honest with ourselves, honest with others, and even honest with God?

Here's something to think about—when God led the writers of the Gospel to tell the story of Jesus' birth, He didn't try to filter it, edit it, or make it look perfect.

Instead, He told the whole truth and nothing but the truth. He let us see all the mess, the chaos, the drama, and even clued us in to the smell. (Let's be honest—barn animals stink.)

He didn't air-brush it—He was authentic.

As we enter into the holiday season and the new year, are there ways He's asking us to follow His example? To say, this is who I am and this is what God is doing in my life???

It's something to think about.

--Adessa