Jesus Called. He Wants Christmas Back!

An employee died on November 28, 2008 in the entrance of a Wal-Mart. He was trampled to death by people who came to take advantage of Black Friday bargains. According to news reports, when shoppers were advised of the death, they kept shopping. Some lamented that they had been in line since the day before and they would not leave. On the same day in California, two men shot one another in a Toys R' Us. (Who brings a gun into a toy store?) And so, the holiday season begins with little to no holiday spirit and tons of hostility.

When did that most wonderful time of year disappear? You know what I'm talking about. That time when you awoke on a chilly winter's morning with a song in your heart because for the next month or so family from all over would be visiting your house? Those family banquets where the kids would sit back and listen to the old folks tell stories about days gone by. Who could forget the Charlie Brown Christmas special?( Linus always stole the show at the end.) The Christmas tree went up, and as the star was placed on top of the tree, we'd hear the story of how Christmas came to be. It never got old.

When I was around eight or so, I caught a news story about grown folks fighting over dolls that came out of a cabbage patch (smelled like it, too). Straight up. There was a news camera in Lionel Kiddie City, and it caught grown folks rolling around all-melee style as if these dolls had cash in them. Moreover, they were ugly. Real ugly. U-G-L-Y, you ain't go no alibi-ugly. I didn't want one, so I made sure my parents knew ahead of time. I didn't want them getting arrested for trying to buy an ugly doll. I think that's when I realized that Christmas was not Christmas for everyone.

Newsflash folks!!Christmas exists because of Christ. If you forget Christ, what do you have? You get the trampling masses or gun toting shoppers. Christian holidays are frequent victims of secularization for the sake of commercialization. Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ. I cringe when I hear people say, "We celebrate the secular Christmas." Isn't that a bit like saying you're a little pregnant? Would anyone ever say, "I observe secular Ramadan?" My Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters demand respect for their holy days. Christians should do the same. The spirits of good tidings and joy that accompany Christmas do not exist because DVDs are on sale. They exist because of Christ and the renewed hope he brought with his birth. Christ's birth is significant because it was the fulfillment of a prophesy about a Savior. Christmas should be a recognition of what Christ's birth means to us, as Christians. It should be a birthday party honoring Him.