“Tis the season to be jolly”. What does that really mean? Are you suppose to be happy, funny and jovial during the Christmas season. When does the Christmas season officially start…..Dec. 1st,….the day after Thanksgiving….right after the first snow fall? At WalMart and other large department stores the Christmas season starts before Halloween. Some people start shopping for Christmas presents late summer. The day after Christmas you go out and buy Christmas decorations and Christmas cards for next year. . Why not just make the Christmas season year round?........because the Christmas season has become too stressful, that's why! Did I send out enough Christmas Cards…. do I have to write a Christmas Letter with them…..should I send pictures….have I bought enough presents for the kids…..did I buy the right presents…..have I spent the exact same amount of money on each kid….did I spend enough….my friend “Joe” brought us an expensive wine last Christmas and we had forgot to get him anything so this year do we buy something that costs about the same as the wine for him….all the relatives, on both sides of the family, would like us to visit them this Christmas but there just isn’t enough time to visit all so who do we slight….of course you want your family to be with you on Christmas Eve but your kid’s spouse’s family wants them to be with them…..should you have decorated outside since all your neighbors have……how much should you decorate inside your home…..The list goes on! It's no wonder that being depressed is at it's highest during the Christmas time.
The President of our Church Council said it best, when we saw him at the grocery store. “Boy will I be glad when this is all over!”
Yesterday afternoon we went to our grandchildren’s school Christmas program. They expressed to the audience what Christmas is all about……they sang “Happy Birthday Jesus”! How do you think Jesus feels watching everyone focusing all their attention on everything BUT his birthday. Oh sure we all go to church on Christmas Eve and sing “Silent Night” …..at the same time we’re thinking about supper and gifts at home. Christmas should be celebrated the same as Easter…….no gifts…no cards…no decorations (except Easter Lilies). Just truly reflect and celebrate Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection.
If you want to have a “Give presents once a year for being good”…fine …have at it… but do not combine it with a birthday party for our Savior. Do it before Thanksgiving when the weather is a little nicer so relatives can get together a little easier and then really celebrate the birth of our Lord as we should….sincerely, humbly and reverently.
Maybe I’m too cynical about the “Christmas Season” but sometime I think we all tend to forget what Christmas is truely all about.
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Naw, you're not cynical...that feeling you have, that's how we all should feel.
ReplyDeleteJust think...if even 1/5 of the money spent this past season on gifts was put toward helping others (on top of what was given as it was) imagine the difference that would make.
Yes, the SPIRIT of Christmas should last all year around...perhaps we cynics should pick up that mantle - at least then we'd have a cynical leg to stand on!