That's a good thing.
But, each year I get a little bit more exasperated with the whole commercialization of Christmas. When the bows and decorations start appearing before Halloween, the train has definitely run off the rails. I find it very hard to be joyous and gracious to my fellow man when the retailers are after my last penny, and the yuletide shoppers will go to war with you just to get a parking space closer to the front door.
And, in case you haven't noticed, the word Christmas is slowly but surely being eliminated from all the holiday advertising. Happy Holidays! Yuletide Cheer! But, let's not mention the Son of the Living God, whose birthday we used to celebrate at this time of year. Been great knowin' Ya, but we've moved on...
How different would your Christmas be if all traces of Christ were removed from the holidays? Would you miss the nativity scenes? What if all the old carols disappeared, replaced only by Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman? Would you miss going to church? Would your family traditions change in any way at all?
Be honest. Do you actually celebrate the birth of Christ? Or is this season only about an embarrassing deluge of gifts, a crushing credit card bill, too much food, and a couple days off of work?
Might be worth thinking about a little bit. Just sayin'.
