Define Christmas...
I'll be honest -- I've never really been a big fan of the Christmas season. Up until recently, I never really considered why. Getting presents from friends and family was never a big thing for me; I didn't use half the stuff anyway. Overall, I just enjoyed it because it was a reason for my family to come into town and spend time with my immediately family for a couple days. However, I feel this year my taste for Christmas has been worse than ever. I noticed I would immediately turn off the radio when I heard the first couple notes of a Christmas carol -- and still do. I think that's the only immediate and drastic difference to compared to other years of my indifference for the holiday. Otherwise, I'm still not very excited overall. Being a Christian, you think I would be, but I think it may be part of the reason I dislike it all the more.
Christmas is supposed to be a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the one man in all the world in all time who would be able to link us to God and allow us into heaven. The point of the day is to celebrate his birth, to understand the hardships his parents went through before his birth, and to understand the gift God gave us because despite our transgressions he still loves us. On this day we're supposed to reflect on that and appreciate it. However, I don't think I see much of that.
Instead I see the holiday being used as an excuse for controversy and hypocrisy. I can't tell you how many e-mails I've received regarding how people will insist on saying "Merry Christmas" because stores will be switching to "Happy Holidays" instead. Why so much controversy over two little words? If someone tells you "Happy Hanukkah" or "Happy Ramadan", they're not saying it out of spite. Each religion has their own holiday -- there's no reason for someone to tell you Merry Christmas if they don't believe in the reason for Christmas. It disturbs me how much anger can be brought about by changing such words, though.
The hypocrisy is another issue. While I agree people should be happy and joyous around this time of year for celebration, I don't think you should be so if you're normally not. If you're generally blunt, rude, loud, and offensive the other 11 months of the year, there's no reason for you to put on a mask during this time of the year. People suddenly become so generous with their time, suddenly wanting to help others, raise money for charities, gather food or clothes for shelters; this shouldn't be something that's done only once a year! But because it's a season that calls for it, it is. We should have this same enthusiasm throughout the year for a cause. If during Christmas we decide we want to volunteer at a homeless shelter, then maybe it's something we should devote some of our time to the rest of the year, even if it's only once a month. If we gather clothes for a children's shelter during December, maybe we should consider donating an item a month. Further on the argument of hypocrisy, I can't stand Christmas carols. I don't understand how people who don't sing and worship God/Jesus throughout the rest of the year suddenly get the urge to do so during Christmas. Again, it's a whole mask thing. They're not going to recognize Jesus until the time comes for it, yet I believe Jesus should be recognized ALWAYS. Whether it's singing a song about him or simply praying to him (short or long), he should always be kept in mind. The sudden enthusiasm people have during December -- correction, Thanksgiving day and on -- should be the same enthusiasm expressed throughout the year.
This holiday is hardly about Jesus anymore. For some reason I feel this holiday is about decorations and presents. Neighborhoods have competitions on who can decorate their house the most elaborately for a cash prize. And perhaps it's because I'm a student employee that barely has enough to take care of herself much less other people, but I hate feeling obligated to buy people gifts. I should buy people gifts because I feel like it, not because the season calls for it. For example, when I was going to visit Lubbock, I bought gifts for my friends to show my appreciation for them. It wasn't because I felt I HAD to, but because I wanted to. During this season, however, I find myself buying people things because I HAVE to, and I buy things for people because I feel I'll hurt their feelings if I don't. I'm stressing out right now because I bought the office staff small gifts, but I didn't have enough to buy the whole office something, and I'm worried someone will take it the wrong way. It shouldn't be that way! And the financial struggle this is putting me through is not worth it. Let's put it this way -- I have $50 to last me until Tuesday. Fun, huh?
Perhaps my arguments are invalid or out of line. Perhaps they have no backing to them or I am the only one that feels this way about them. However, I've thought long and hard about this. I wanted to figure out why exactly I wasn't enjoying the Christmas season as much as other people were. Perhaps some day I will. I enjoy it enough that my outlook on the true meaning of the Holiday isn't drastically affect, but it is watered down. I don't want it to be that way. Hopefully I'll get over my cynical kick and appreciate the holiday for what it is, not what it's become.
Just had to write it down. It's been bugging me for weeks!
Christmas is supposed to be a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the one man in all the world in all time who would be able to link us to God and allow us into heaven. The point of the day is to celebrate his birth, to understand the hardships his parents went through before his birth, and to understand the gift God gave us because despite our transgressions he still loves us. On this day we're supposed to reflect on that and appreciate it. However, I don't think I see much of that.
Instead I see the holiday being used as an excuse for controversy and hypocrisy. I can't tell you how many e-mails I've received regarding how people will insist on saying "Merry Christmas" because stores will be switching to "Happy Holidays" instead. Why so much controversy over two little words? If someone tells you "Happy Hanukkah" or "Happy Ramadan", they're not saying it out of spite. Each religion has their own holiday -- there's no reason for someone to tell you Merry Christmas if they don't believe in the reason for Christmas. It disturbs me how much anger can be brought about by changing such words, though.
The hypocrisy is another issue. While I agree people should be happy and joyous around this time of year for celebration, I don't think you should be so if you're normally not. If you're generally blunt, rude, loud, and offensive the other 11 months of the year, there's no reason for you to put on a mask during this time of the year. People suddenly become so generous with their time, suddenly wanting to help others, raise money for charities, gather food or clothes for shelters; this shouldn't be something that's done only once a year! But because it's a season that calls for it, it is. We should have this same enthusiasm throughout the year for a cause. If during Christmas we decide we want to volunteer at a homeless shelter, then maybe it's something we should devote some of our time to the rest of the year, even if it's only once a month. If we gather clothes for a children's shelter during December, maybe we should consider donating an item a month. Further on the argument of hypocrisy, I can't stand Christmas carols. I don't understand how people who don't sing and worship God/Jesus throughout the rest of the year suddenly get the urge to do so during Christmas. Again, it's a whole mask thing. They're not going to recognize Jesus until the time comes for it, yet I believe Jesus should be recognized ALWAYS. Whether it's singing a song about him or simply praying to him (short or long), he should always be kept in mind. The sudden enthusiasm people have during December -- correction, Thanksgiving day and on -- should be the same enthusiasm expressed throughout the year.
This holiday is hardly about Jesus anymore. For some reason I feel this holiday is about decorations and presents. Neighborhoods have competitions on who can decorate their house the most elaborately for a cash prize. And perhaps it's because I'm a student employee that barely has enough to take care of herself much less other people, but I hate feeling obligated to buy people gifts. I should buy people gifts because I feel like it, not because the season calls for it. For example, when I was going to visit Lubbock, I bought gifts for my friends to show my appreciation for them. It wasn't because I felt I HAD to, but because I wanted to. During this season, however, I find myself buying people things because I HAVE to, and I buy things for people because I feel I'll hurt their feelings if I don't. I'm stressing out right now because I bought the office staff small gifts, but I didn't have enough to buy the whole office something, and I'm worried someone will take it the wrong way. It shouldn't be that way! And the financial struggle this is putting me through is not worth it. Let's put it this way -- I have $50 to last me until Tuesday. Fun, huh?
Perhaps my arguments are invalid or out of line. Perhaps they have no backing to them or I am the only one that feels this way about them. However, I've thought long and hard about this. I wanted to figure out why exactly I wasn't enjoying the Christmas season as much as other people were. Perhaps some day I will. I enjoy it enough that my outlook on the true meaning of the Holiday isn't drastically affect, but it is watered down. I don't want it to be that way. Hopefully I'll get over my cynical kick and appreciate the holiday for what it is, not what it's become.
Just had to write it down. It's been bugging me for weeks!