My Annual Christmas Complaint/Bonus

My Annual Christmas Complaint/Bonus

November 26, 2024

Sorry. I just can’t help myself after hearing an interview on the local morning TV News about handling stress during the Holidays…

Stress is an important thing to handle.

Thanksgiving certainly is an important handle for stress, isn’t it? When we think about and appreciate what we already have, including family friends besides our material well-being, doesn’t it, at least, seem to take the weight off? Yet the next holiday sems to bring all the stress back!

You know the holiday of course. Nominally, it is called “Christmas.” Maybe it should be called “Stuffmas.”

You see, all that the professional counselor was concerned about was the importance of minimizing stress and ways not to overdo. The advice was not a concern for me, I kept on waiting for something more. Stress is a year round problem… But the holidays? Anything specific?

One of the anchors started to go on about his experience and the niceties of family traditions , especially the food and also mentioning the family together…

Not once, not even a hint, of why we celebrate the holidays… You know the fable of the Pilgrims and the Indians, (“indians”? not “First Americans”?) Just to note, the accurate portrayal of the first Thanksgiving was this historical fact: “The Wampanoag people, the “People of the First Light,” are responsible for saving the Pilgrims from starvation and death during the harsh winter of 1620–21.” — https://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices.

Now, those folks had good reason to be thankful, didn’t they? The interview shed no light on the Wampanoag people.

Still and all, Thanksgiving, the good food and the family and friends football games, and other activities is certainly not what concerned me. As my title suggests. Sure let’s minimize stress by being thankful for whatever and whoever has been a blessing and might have come our way.

At the same time, The next holiday on the calendar is Christmas. As the interview kept plodding on, I was expecting to hear something specific and something more. There was no mention of the name which everyone used to associate with Christmas, either!

At least, they could have mentioned the historical Nicholas, the Greek Christian leader, who cared for needy children. Well, long story short old man Nic evolved many times until the current manifestation, became the newest rendition: the fable of Santa Claus as in the picture above.

Well who was it, born before Nicholas, who Christmas is supposed to be about? I’ll give a clue if it isn’t obvious. I’ll break down the holiday’s name: Christ and Mass. First “mass” is a liturgical religious celebration. So in this case, a celebration of Christ — specifically. His birth.

And who is Christ? His name is Jesus. You know the man in the Bible who, as it turns out, to be the Son of God, God in the flesh who came into our World to save us from ourselves, to rid our world of sin, sinfulness, all the hurt and harm we have been doing to ourselves our planet and to each other.

You know. That man…The Savior who found no place in the interview. Not a peep.

That proved to me how far away from God, Jesus, and the Bible our Society and Culture has fallen. The disturbing essence is the we, us people are who are the Culture and the Society.

Not a peep about the person who would suffer and die, taking the blame for our shortcomings, our hurtful and harmful deeds. Not one peep!

We want stuff., and we want it fast. We want to know where the best prices are. Quick what’s on sale’ Is it on line where we don’t have to deal with other people?

All the same, let me tell you the most important thing for us about Chrstmas. It isn’t the toys and clothes, not the electronics or gift cards. It is knowing the difference between what our world has to offer and what God’s world has for us, this being the first:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 6:23, New living Translation.

Beyond, as we choose to continue to turn to walk in His way instead of our own. seeking the non-materialistic presents is the specific gifts in the list below, and please make special note of the first sentence:

“A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.” — 1 Corinthians 12:7–11. ibid.

Like these Christmas gifts God has for us “so we can help each other,” Like the man, Nicholas, who was said to hand out fruit to needy children as a gift, God is ready to hand out to us who turn around to Him these fruits;

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” — Galatians 5:11–12, New International Version.

Don’t you think these gifts and fruits are far and away better than anything money can buy?