Christmas....My Way


As Christmas approaches I am once again reminded that the day originally designed to honor and help celebrate the birth of Jesus is now big business. It has been for quite a while, from the retailers to the gift givers and gift takers everything is centered on buying the perfect gift to impress, getting a gift you really don’t need and cutting a huge profit.

   Over the years since I was a kid especially over the past twenty years the mere symbols that represented Jesus and his big day, has slowly but steadily been blotted out by multi faith based groups who felt offended that is was all about Jesus and not their God, not their belief system. I always found it ironic yet annoying that they get to have their belief and day of celebration but when it comes to Christ and Christianity everything has to be dumbed down and made cohesive because you don’t want anybody to be offended.

    The symbolic representation of Christmas has even been washed away, angels, nativity scenes, crosses even Merry Christmas has been replaced with Happy Holidays. A secular Christmas has become universal and more about another family gathering, eating and drinking and gifting. Most households bearing a tree and lights has barely an angel hanging on the tree. In hindsight all the symbolic representations are just that and it’s not supposed to be about what you hang on your tree or house or what you place on your lawn to tell the world you are Christian, it’s hypercritical to adorn your tree or house with all of that if it’s not Christ you are honoring or celebrating.

  I celebrate both the secular holiday gifting family gathering day on the 24th but on Christmas day upon wakening and throughout the morning I take time one on one to honor Him. I no longer feel the need to force my faith or beliefs down anybody’s throat and I don’t have to go through the motions of doing the Christmas and Easter church dance. Don’t get me wrong, God loves it when you take the time to honor Him and His son but He also enjoys when you take the time just to have a one on one with Him. So, on that morning before the day begins, before the FaceBook posting and the texting begins, I celebrate Christmas my way.

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