Tuesday, November 19, 2013

A Come To Jesus Meeting With Santa

Ah, Christmas!  I love, love, love Christmas!!  With all the decorations, lights, prettily wrapped packages, cold weather with the hopes of seeing some snow, and spicy smells - it's like living in a beautiful dream.  Putting up the Christmas tree is one of the best feelings in the world too (on the flip-side, taking it down is the complete opposite).  Well, for most people it is, for my daughter it's a day of hearing "no, no...we put this kind in the front!  Don't put that one back there - no one will see it!  Dude, you've put all reds in a row!  Ew, I don't like...oh, you made that one?  I knew that; let's put that one down at the bottom so you see it when you're sitting on the floor unwrapping presents?!" Fun right?  But still my daughter makes it fun for herself by having us sing the theme song to How The Grinch Stole Christmas every time we make a little progress.  You can imagine my husbands delight at hearing "baa whoo moray...baa whoo moray..." every few minutes.  I'm assuming that when I hear him say "seriously?!" he's really saying "you know that's right ladies!".  Anyway. All the work of putting up a tree that gives me a rash from elbow to fingertips and the lights that decide not to work is all part of the Holiday experience that I look forward to from January to November each year.  Even when you aren't thinking about the true meaning of Christmas whilst throwing Holiday bobbles around your dwelling you have a sense of the Lord surrounding you in warmth particularly during this season.  Now, I'm not trying to get all preachy on y'all, but if you don't think that there's something bigger than the human race at work during Christmas then you've lost the whole point of why we celebrate this time of year.

I, like most everyone, enjoy the commercialism of what Christmas brings; shopping centers start decorating about the same time I'm wiping cheap Halloween make-up off of my daughters face almost as if to erase the taste of All Hallows Eve off of everyone's palette.  Heck, if it's cold enough on Halloween night I start wishing I could swap out the sparkly witch hat for my really cute Santa boot I like to display!  But sadly with times a-changin' people have started to forget the real reason for Christmas and actually change it to appease those who don't believe in Jesus at all.  And here's the kicker - those who don't believe in God or Jesus and the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place still decorate and prepare for the "Holiday Season" too!  What?!  Exactly what do they believe they are celebrating?  Are they celebrating the huge sale at Khol's?  Did they get a great deal at Dick's Sporting Goods and think "you know what?  I should decorate my house with a tree because my Nike Air's were fifty percent off!  And what says I got a killer deal like a star placed atop my spruce pine?!  High-five me Honey and while you're up grab me some eggnog!"  I seriously want to know why your house is decorated for a time of celebration that started for a reason that you truly do not believe in?  Is it because you're giving your child the knowledge of something they can decide is true or not later?  Or rather is it because Junior might feel left out at school because Mommy and Daddy don't believe in God but he deserves the newest X-box just like his friend Lucas?  Or do you justify it by saying Santa Claus isn't named for a saint and is a jolly fat man with a big wallet and a super-fast vehicle throwing toys around because he actually does have a money tree?  Let me be clear, I have friends that don't believe and I don't judge them - that's not my job, but I do question why, on Christmas Morning, they are sitting around a tree celebrating Christ.  But I guess they are negating that too because now it's offensive to say Merry Christmas; now it's proper to say Happy Holidays.  Again I say WHAT?!  To what Holiday are they referring please?  Maybe we should start saying "Happy Cold Weather I Really Like Twinkly Lights And A Killer Sale At Target Season Everyone!"  But wait, that would clash with Easter since it's usually still cold at that time too.  Or maybe that's easily explained away since that's clearly a holiday with a ginormous rabbit NOT dressed in a red suit that breaks into your house leaving a chocolate self portrait of himself instead of potentially throwing himself to his own death by diving into a chimney.  I'm pretty sure that Saint Nick and the Easter Bunny have at least a little faith that they won't get shot once they find a way in to your abode.  Heck, without the real reason for Santa and the Easter Bunny being in existence they would be what nightmares are made!  Forget ghosts and monsters...there are two really bored psychopaths breaking in and making sure you're asleep!

It's just confusing for me because I was brought up in a house with faith.  For me, without my faith in God, Jesus, the Holy Ghost and what was sacrificed so that we could live knowing that even when our flesh dies we live on, I would be lost.  I'm also not blind to the science of life and yes it brings questions that are normal for anyone to ponder but no matter what science can explain away I still come back to my faith because it gives me comfort.  That might not work for others and that's okay...it's when those others try to take away from me, my family, my fellow Christians that I want to question what their intentions are.  Furthermore, it doesn't bother me that non-believers want to celebrate Twinkly Lights Season until they want to change the meaning for me.  Do I still buy my kid presents at Christmas?  Yes!  Should anyone else that wants to do that too join in?  Yes!  But when the words "Merry Christmas" bother you like you've been persecuted for your non-beliefs and you try to change it then I take issue.  Just recently Hallmark has made some changes in their wording as not to offend anyone...well I say good luck with that because it seems that we have reached a time where there is something that's going to bother someone no matter how many changes we make.  How about make an Atheist Holiday?  I promise not to get offended unless it has something to do with hurting my family.  I'll even say "Happy I Don't Believe In Anything Day!" if it makes you happy...just leave my beliefs alone.

For those of you who get offended with the word Christmas, I've taken the liberty of going ahead and making the changes that are apparently headed our way:

How The Grinch Stole (dirty thief)
The Night Before (sounds like a great cliffhanger to me!)
Oh Tree (silly tree)
Have Yourself A Merry Little (that's just wrong!)
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like (well, now I'm downright intrigued...I'll put this on my "must listen" list)

And just in case the name God wrapped up in a Christmas song bothers you:

Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (lazy but happy I guess)

Hey, most of us are guilty of getting wrapped up into the commercial side of Christmas but that doesn't mean we forget the why of such an important Holiday.  I will apologize if I've stepped on any toes with this rant-like post...I pray you forgive me.

Merry Christmas everyone!

4 comments:

  1. I LAUGHED AND LAUGHED. I LOVE IT SO MUCH, THAT I PRINTED IT OUT AND PUT ITIN MY "SAVE FOREVER BOX."

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    1. Thank you! Thank you! You make me feel so good about my writing!!

      You should let your class read "Does This House Make Me Look Fat?" It's about getting rid if things ya don't need!

      Love ya!!

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  2. HAHAHAHA!!! Okay, now I have to read your other blog posts!!

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  3. Thank you so much! Join (follow) my blog so you get notified when I update it!! And tell your friends...I'm trying to get noticed and do a column for the paper (it's my dream)!
    Hugs,
    Barbara

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