Wednesday, December 15, 2004

No Reason- No Season

I hope you will indulge me in diverging from the Holy War discussion for a week or so, as I believe the subject I want to discuss today is relative and very timely. I promise to thoroughly deal with the Holy War topic (Parts 2 and 3), right after "the holidays."

I had thought of naming this post, "They Can't Have It Both Ways."
What I am talking about is the the sudden absence, this year, of the mention of Christmas. Is it just me or does it seem like the anti- Christmas fervor has sprung up this year, like at no time past, to you too?

This afternoon a client of mine came into my office. After discussing business, he mentioned that one of his colleagues had asked him if he had gotten the memo referring the to office "Holiday" party. He told the guy, "you mean Christmas party," but the colleague said, "no, it says holiday party." So he went back and checked and sure enough, it said holiday party. They and several other employees emailed back and remarked, complained actually, about the absence of the name Christmas.

He and I then began a discussion of the seemingly sudden and blatant attack on this day (Christmas). Of course we brought up the fact that Jesus is the "reason for the season," and went into the historical facts of all of that. But after he left I was struck with a new concept and idea. I ask you to go with me here as I think out loud a bit and then tell me, as Bill O'Reilly would say: "where am I wrong here?"

As believers in Jesus Christ I would hope that the lack of celebration of, and/or the lack of reverence for, the birth of the savior of all mankind will not jeapordize our faith in that fact. Actually, most of us as true believers realize that He was not really born on December 25th anyway, and the more radical of us reject the symbolism all together as being of pagan origin. So, the fact that the day, or days, are not used in honoring Jesus is not really a factor in determining the reality of who He is in our hearts. I am convinced, however, that the Anti-Christian Liberties Union (ACLU), in their warped sense of reality, truly believes that they are hurting us in all of this, while they do not hurt us in any way. The truth is that they actually energize and empower us.

But I really would like to call their, that is the secular humanist's, bluff for a change. I would like to see someone in Congress propose a resolution that says, if we will no longer recognize the reason for it, we must revoke the holiday. In otherwords, there is no reason to celebrate any holiday, if there was no event associated with it.

Just think of it, employers would get another day or 2 or 3 of productivity per year out of their employees, while saving millions in holiday pay. Meanwhile educators would be able to have an extra few weeks to teach our children per year (school work right through to spring break).

And oh my, just think of the relief many of us will get in not having to shop for presents. There would be no more needless charging and incurring of debt by people feeling compelled to buy what they cannot afford, for those who will not really appreciate it anyway.

I do realize that children might not like it and of course many, like my dear wife, and the ladies I work with, who live to shop, will be devastated. But myself, I will see it as very liberating, that I will no longer be compared to Scrooge for not getting all tingly about the season. I will be able to continue to worship Jesus humbly, privately and maybe even more purely, absent the tyranny of holiday pressure.

Will you join me in calling your Congressman, Senator or both, and ask them to introduce such a resolution, or actual amendment? This might just be the thing to wake people up to the realities of what they are proposing or allowing by observing a holiday for no purpose.

If not and we continue on the road we are now on, it really will be just, Festivus for the rest of us.