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Christmasstime



The History of the Christmas Holiday is a dance between faith and folklore. For many the holiday is about giving presents and perpetuating the belief in Father Christmas or Santa Claus. For Christians around the world it is the celebration of the true origin of the holiday: Christ's birth in Bethlehem. The name of the holiday Christmas comes from the word Christ-mass, meaning to have mass gathering of believers come together to honor Jesus Christ. While juxtaposition of the Savior with Santa seems odd, in truth Santa Claus is caricature of St. Nicholas who in Turkey was known to secretly give gifts to the poor and leave coins in people's shoes (it is a custom in Turkish and Asian culture to take your shoes off when entering a house).

Christmas Time is also a time of commercialism. Major companies gear up to sell their products right after Thanksgiving to potential Christmas shoppers. The Black Friday tradition is so ingrained in our culture, that it has become part of the holiday. The Commercial side of Christmas has It's roots in the origin and folklore of the holiday. When Christ was three years old in Egypt, the Three Wise Men came and gave him gifts of Frankincense, Gold, and Myrrh. Of course Santa Claus is considered the patron character of charity, who looks into his crystal ball and reads the letters of children around the world and gets them what they want pending on if they are 'naughty or nice'. The Commercial side of holiday thrives on the folklore because parents do not want to disappoint children. The truth is that Christmas is really about Jesus Christ's Birthday. We should instead offer to our Lord and Savior our 'presence' as a present to Him. Hence why many Catholic and Orthodox Churches do have masses and evening services on Christmas Eve to honor the true reason for the season.

 How many of us humans after learning so much and filling our intellect and learning to do adult things would opt to be a baby who cannot talk? Christ marginalized himself so that he could learn what it was like to be human, to understand us, to better relate to us, to better intercede for us, and to ultimately grow up and die for our sins. Bethlehem was the beginning and without it we do not have the climax at Calvary.

While I am a strong advocate of keeping the true meaning of the season in focus, I do enjoy the decorations. I love the evergreen trees, lights, and the presents.  I too delight in "Jingle Bells" as much as "Noel". Each has it's own merit for drawing us into the spirit of the season. Christmas time is special time of year because of Christ, family, friends, and the festive additions. The point is to keep Jesus Christ front and center and to let the Evergreen Tree, St. Nick, and the plethora of presents ascent around Him.

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