“Are these all the Christmas cakes you have? Or do you have other designs?” I asked the lady at the bakeshop counter.  I was buying some bread last week when I noticed the cakes on display that have Christmas designs.

I saw a cake decorated with poinsettia flowers.  I saw another cake decorated with Christmas lanterns and gifts.  I saw another cake with red and green candy sprinkles.  I saw a cake with the words “Merry Christmas” on it.  I saw another cake with Santa Claus and some gifts.

“Do you have a cake with a Baby Jesus in the manger design?”  I asked further.

The bakeshop staff, however, said that they don’t have any other Christmas cake designs aside from those on display.  I was disappointed and sad when I heard her reply.

“Why do you have a Santa Claus design but you don’t have a Baby Jesus design on your Christmas cakes?  Isn’t it that Jesus is the one celebrating His birthday on Christmas Day and not Santa Claus?  Why is there no birthday cake for the REAL REASON why we have Christmas?”

The poor bakeshop staff could not offer me a better explanation.  So, I asked her to make a suggestion to whoever is in charge of their cake designs, to come up with a design fit for the Birthday Boy on Christmas day.  I found it ironic that I have yet to find a greeting cake or a birthday cake that’s designed to celebrate JESUS’ birth.  I don’t know if she will relay my feedback or suggestion to their management or not.  I hope she will.  I hope she was also disturbed by my questions.

We have a Christmas tradition in our young family to have a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas day.  Since we have yet to find a greeting cake or birthday cake with a manger design or something related to Jesus’ birth, I simply buy an ordinary cake and ask the bakeshop staff to write “Happy Birthday, Jesus!”  We also put a candle on it.  Our eldest son leads in singing the Birthday Song for Jesus then he blows the candle on the cake.  We started this family tradition when my eldest son was still 2 years old. We would sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.  I intend to do the same thing this year.  This time, our two boys will be singing the Birthday Song for Jesus with my husband and me.  It seems that I still wouldn’t find the kind of cake I’m looking for in the regular or popular bakeshops in the metro.  I think the only way to have that kind of cake design is to bake our own cake and design it ourselves or to order a customized cake.  This really makes me sad.

I hope more bakeshop owners would design more Christ-centered Christmas cakes so that Christ would not be alienated from people’s Christmas celebrations or people would be reminded somehow of the REAL REASON for our Christmas celebration.
Think of it this way.  You learned that your friends are celebrating your birthday.  You saw that there are plenty of food and drinks at the table to feast on.  But you saw also that the birthday cake has the name and image/photo of one of your friends and not yours.  Moreover, you saw that there were plenty of gifts in the party but none of them were for you.  You learned that your friends are exchanging gifts with each other during the party and that none of them remembered to get one for you.  How would you feel in this situation?

Now, if this is what Jesus Christ would see and experience on His Birthday, on Christmas Day, as He visits our homes and offices, what do you think would He feel?

 

And as we prepare our Christmas feast or Noche Buena, maywe not forget to get a birthday cake for the Birthday Boy. Let us not forget why there is CHRISTmas.  Let us not forget to greet Jesus Christ on His Birthday.  Let us not forget to thank God for sending Jesus to be our Savior.  Let us not forget to thank Jesus Christ for coming to the world to redeem us.  Let us not forget to offer Him a gift.  Let us follow the example of the Magi who honored Him with gifts.  Let us prepare our hearts for His coming so that our hearts and homes would be ready to welcome Him when He comes to visit us on His Birthday.  That way, we would be able to bring Him joy in our own simple way.

May you and your family have a blessed Christmas celebration warmed by the loving and holy presence of Christ!

 

* This was originally published at Mommy Bares All.