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In Search of Christmas
Am I getting older or becoming a Scrooge? I am starting to think that some where along the line in the past 20 years Christmas has lost its meaning.
Let's approach this article like a court case. I will take the unpopular side and be the plaintiff. The majority of the people who read this article would defend against what I am saying. It makes for a great debate so let the gavel drop.
As head of this legal team I want to start my opening argument by saying I am also a near expert in the subject. I grew up going to Catholic Church. You name a Catholic Church I have spent time there: St. Luke's near Highland Lakes, Esparto Santo in Safety Harbor, St. Michael in Dunedin, and All Saints in Countryside off Curlew Rd. Those churches might ring a bell for those of you who live in North Pinellas County, Florida. I was also an altar boy at one of these churches for 3 years. My Senior year of high school was spent at Oldsmar Christian School which is from a Baptist faith. I went to college at St. Leo University, a Catholic College from the Benedictine faith and took enough 400 level courses to be eligible for a religion minor.
Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with loved ones. In this case, I am going to try to prove that Christmas has lost its meaning due to capitalism and this country's need for consumption.
If one reads the Bible, the most detailed accounts of Jesus' birth are in Matthew and Luke. Based on the Gospels of the shepherds activities, the time where Jesus was most likely born was in spring or summer. Roman Christians changed the date of Christ's Birth (Christmas) to the end of December around 350 BC in accordance with their December solstice. Some American economists believe this idea was adopted by previous countries and ours to give the year one final economic boost¹.
That's where all the problems start. After a while greed sets in or an unexplainable frenzy to be able to give the best. During the biggest shopping day of the year (November, 25th) how many times have you seen people on the news get run over when the local Wal-Mart opens with a sale on toaster ovens? It happens every year. Usually these are parents who are buying something for their unappreciative kids who will play with their toy once. Then the kid will put it aside until the next year's WANT is marketed and publicized.
Have you been in a mall parking lot recently looking for a parking spot? You finally find your spot in BFE and someone cuts you off to take it. Then when this person does take the spot, he or she gives you the finger as if you did something wrong. Do you think Jesus would want us to be celebrating his birth this way?
Speaking of Jesus, let's talk about his house, a chapel or church of God. For those folks in the jury who go to church often you notice a difference around Christmas time. Churches are packed 10 times to what they would be in, say, July. It's as if the majority of the public is just putting in their time or jumping on the bandwagon during that time a year. Almost like Bucs fans when they are about to make the playoffs.
The point of this hearing is not if you believe in Jesus as your Savior or not. That's your personal business. The point is if people going to celebrate Jesus' birthday as if he is the Son of man, then we should know what his party is truly about. My case is his birthday should be about his teachings. If you don't know what his teachings are you are proving my point even more.
Now I would like to call my one and only witness to the stand. Jesus himself. Although Jesus is not here in the flesh to answer for himself, in some ways he is in each one of us. I have only one question for you Jesus:
Has Christmas (the symbolic celebration for your birthday) lost its meaning?
My closing statement isn't even a statement but more of a question. What do you think his answer would be?
¹ Info source: Wikipedia.com the worlds largest online encyclopedia.
"My Middle Toe Is Longer Than Yours" is ©2005 by Mark Terry. Webpage design and all graphics herein (except where otherwise noted) are creations of Nolan B. Canova. All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2005 by Nolan B. Canova.