Christmas thoughts go round and round
As I sit here contemplating a column idea, I keep having these circular thoughts about things that are unrelated but connected nonetheless.
Every year at Christmas I get distressed about what the holiday has become. My interest in Christmas has certainly evolved over the course of my life. As a child, I, like most children, couldn’t wait for Christmas. Santa … snow … decorating the tree … and presents, lots and lot of presents!
Sure, we all know that Christmas is about giving and that it is more blessed to give than to receive. But it’s human nature – especially for children – to want to receive. We want to know what gifts we’re getting. We want to know what Santa brought us. I never once sat with my family around the Christmas tree eagerly waiting to see the expressions on their faces as they opened their gifts from me.
More often than not, I gave my brothers gifts that I wanted for myself and usually wound up with before the stroke of midnight on New Year’s. I had many a sleepless night in my pre-teen years as I tossed and turned in bed unable to sleep. Every few minutes I would peek to see if “Santa” had come. How he managed to deliver gifts each year without my knowing it still baffles me to this day.
My parents finally made a rule that my brothers and I could not wake them up before 5 a.m. to open gifts. I would usually go downstairs and start a fire in the pot belly stove around 4:30 and then head to the kitchen and make the coffee. It would be ready and waiting for them 30 minutes later as we excitedly dragged Mom and Dad out of bed.
By 5:15, the gifts would be open, the excitement would pass and then, as the post-present letdown started to sink in, I’d retreat to bed and let sleep win over for the next few hours.
As I reached adulthood, my interest in gifts very slowly began to wane. By the time I was in my 30s, I had more interest in watching my children open their gifts and had only a passing interest in opening mine. But then I saw my children – my own flesh and blood – become the greedy, self-absorbed monster I had been and I began to see Christmas in a whole, new light.
About this time I was growing rapidly in my Christian faith and I soon felt a degree of righteous indignation toward Christmas. I had finally figured out that Santa, Christmas trees, ornaments, lights and gifts – those precious gifts I had so longingly pined for – have nothing at all to do with Christmas. I began to see Christ – the real reason we have Christmas at all – being lost in this spending orgy and the surreal fantasy characters and idols that have displaced what should be a very sacred birthday party.
Once the term “black Friday” became popular, it occurred to me that this nation’s economy depends on Christmas for its survival. If it weren’t for the holiday spending sprees, our retail economy would collapse on itself. Our economic viability depends on our manufactured fairy tales that in no way have anything to do with the gift of Jesus for the salvation of all mankind.
That has me thinking of what it would be like if we ditched this modern version of Christmas and turned it back to the Christian celebration that it originally was. What if instead of fueling the greed, we gave generously to our churches and other charitable organizations? What if a Christmas service was the highlight of the celebration? Instead of making a Christmas tree the centerpiece of our celebration why don’t we gather around a nativity scene?
Going deeper and looking at the decay of Christianity in this country, I often think it would be nice to live in a place that was governed by Christian principles – a place where the moral corruption of the day could be held at bay. I know such isolated colonies have been attempted. Jonestown, the Branch Dravidians and the Mormon Trail come to mind.
But in my circular way of thinking, I realize that such a place would essentially become a theocracy. It then occurs to me that Middle Eastern countries ruled by Islam are just that.
Suddenly I find myself understanding why the Muslim world hates America so much. I understand why our immoral, crass lifestyle offends them and how they value their faith above what we would call basic human rights. I now understand why our brand of democracy is so offensive to them.
I still do not understand why they feel the need to wage war with us and to attack us with cowardly acts of terrorism. I clearly do not agree with their theology, ideology and any other “ology” that condones acts of hatred and terrorism. But I can sympathize with their desire to not have their way of life corrupted by our democracy, greed and our declining sense of morality.
All of a sudden I’m back to bemoaning the over-commercialism of Christmas and my thought pattern goes around once more.
Oh well, Merry Christmas to each of you. Please, never forget the real reason for the season.
Every year at Christmas I get distressed about what the holiday has become. My interest in Christmas has certainly evolved over the course of my life. As a child, I, like most children, couldn’t wait for Christmas. Santa … snow … decorating the tree … and presents, lots and lot of presents!
Sure, we all know that Christmas is about giving and that it is more blessed to give than to receive. But it’s human nature – especially for children – to want to receive. We want to know what gifts we’re getting. We want to know what Santa brought us. I never once sat with my family around the Christmas tree eagerly waiting to see the expressions on their faces as they opened their gifts from me.
More often than not, I gave my brothers gifts that I wanted for myself and usually wound up with before the stroke of midnight on New Year’s. I had many a sleepless night in my pre-teen years as I tossed and turned in bed unable to sleep. Every few minutes I would peek to see if “Santa” had come. How he managed to deliver gifts each year without my knowing it still baffles me to this day.
My parents finally made a rule that my brothers and I could not wake them up before 5 a.m. to open gifts. I would usually go downstairs and start a fire in the pot belly stove around 4:30 and then head to the kitchen and make the coffee. It would be ready and waiting for them 30 minutes later as we excitedly dragged Mom and Dad out of bed.
By 5:15, the gifts would be open, the excitement would pass and then, as the post-present letdown started to sink in, I’d retreat to bed and let sleep win over for the next few hours.
As I reached adulthood, my interest in gifts very slowly began to wane. By the time I was in my 30s, I had more interest in watching my children open their gifts and had only a passing interest in opening mine. But then I saw my children – my own flesh and blood – become the greedy, self-absorbed monster I had been and I began to see Christmas in a whole, new light.
About this time I was growing rapidly in my Christian faith and I soon felt a degree of righteous indignation toward Christmas. I had finally figured out that Santa, Christmas trees, ornaments, lights and gifts – those precious gifts I had so longingly pined for – have nothing at all to do with Christmas. I began to see Christ – the real reason we have Christmas at all – being lost in this spending orgy and the surreal fantasy characters and idols that have displaced what should be a very sacred birthday party.
Once the term “black Friday” became popular, it occurred to me that this nation’s economy depends on Christmas for its survival. If it weren’t for the holiday spending sprees, our retail economy would collapse on itself. Our economic viability depends on our manufactured fairy tales that in no way have anything to do with the gift of Jesus for the salvation of all mankind.
That has me thinking of what it would be like if we ditched this modern version of Christmas and turned it back to the Christian celebration that it originally was. What if instead of fueling the greed, we gave generously to our churches and other charitable organizations? What if a Christmas service was the highlight of the celebration? Instead of making a Christmas tree the centerpiece of our celebration why don’t we gather around a nativity scene?
Going deeper and looking at the decay of Christianity in this country, I often think it would be nice to live in a place that was governed by Christian principles – a place where the moral corruption of the day could be held at bay. I know such isolated colonies have been attempted. Jonestown, the Branch Dravidians and the Mormon Trail come to mind.
But in my circular way of thinking, I realize that such a place would essentially become a theocracy. It then occurs to me that Middle Eastern countries ruled by Islam are just that.
Suddenly I find myself understanding why the Muslim world hates America so much. I understand why our immoral, crass lifestyle offends them and how they value their faith above what we would call basic human rights. I now understand why our brand of democracy is so offensive to them.
I still do not understand why they feel the need to wage war with us and to attack us with cowardly acts of terrorism. I clearly do not agree with their theology, ideology and any other “ology” that condones acts of hatred and terrorism. But I can sympathize with their desire to not have their way of life corrupted by our democracy, greed and our declining sense of morality.
All of a sudden I’m back to bemoaning the over-commercialism of Christmas and my thought pattern goes around once more.
Oh well, Merry Christmas to each of you. Please, never forget the real reason for the season.
posted by Joe Southern | 11:14 AM
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