some businesses instruct employees to say "happy holidays" instead of "merry christmas".
schools rid holiday programs of christmas carols and religious references, focusing instead on ... winter.
parents refuse to teacher their children about santa claus, because it's a "lie" or "misleading" or "unrealistic", regardless of the fact that santa claus physically did exist once. so their kids grow up, never having the opportunity to believe in something bigger than themselves, to believe in something magical, beautiful, and wondrous in a child's eyes.
a school in Massachusetts is even refusing to allow anything holiday-related in its holiday gift shop. get this: even red and green tissue paper is considered "too christmasy" for children to purchase. i can just imagine their collection of christmas cd's on sale, complete with massive parental warming labels on the front.
so okay, yes - christmas is a religious holiday. i mean, without the baby in the manger, there would be no reason to celebrate the "reason for the season". But christmas has become so commercialized, someone without knowledge of the holiday's origin could believe it's all about Santa and buying gifts. of course retail stores would love for us to buy, buy, buy and make their holidays merry and bright. i would know, i work at macy's -- your holiday monetary cheer is my weekly paycheck.
i just think that with the recession just beginning to supposedly break up, it will be interesting to see if people spend more this year. some stores didn't order as much inventory this year so as not to be stuck with it after the holiday, but i suppose people's predictions are all over the board on that.
all that being said, aren't you as disappointed as i am at what's happened to the holiday? it doesn't take a christian upbringing to celebrate december 25th's holiday of gift-giving and cherished family time. even the non-religious will regale children with dicken's christmas carol, continue traditions of leaving cookies and milk out for santa claus; they'll listen to christmas music, watch specials on TV, make dozens of cookies and enjoy parties with co-workers, friends, family.
What would our world be like without Christmas? unimaginable.
it's a huge part of every person's life, especially retailers who rely on these few weeks between Black Friday and Christmas Eve to make up for slow sales during the rest of the year. and while this isn't an endorsement for overspending this holiday season, it is a reminder that it's not just a holiday -- it's christmas. let's make it a merry one, regardless of circumstances, stresses of the year, lack of loved ones present, low finances, or internal struggles. there is a "reason for the season" (thank you, jan veldman), and although i personally happen to believe in celebrating the birth of my lord and savior ... i would like to give christ more credit in realizing that he knew through this celebration we call Christmas, there would be so many other things to be thankful, grateful, loved for... i think joy is the real "reason for the season". joy in christ's birth, and yet joy in family, blessings, faithfulness, hope, and if none of those -- then pure, unadulterated holiday cheer is enough is put a smile on an open heart :). merry christmas, everyone. this holiday season isn't about you, and it certainly isn't about me: it's about all of us, and i'd like to think that at some point in your life you will be able to feel the same way, joining hands and warming hearts this december.
call me naiive, but i can't help it ... i believe in santa claus :).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
thank you for this. so many people lately have shocked me with their decision to not celebrate christmas and enjoy it due to its turn to a "worldly and commercial holiday, with nothing but heavy materialistic undertones".
ReplyDeletejoy can be had by all.