Killing the Humbug

I have never been a superfan of Christmas. Oh sure, I love the nativity story and weep over thoughts of baby Jesus in the manger, the shepherds, the angels and three kings and all. But living in this world of Mega-Wal-Mart’s, Santa Claus and Big Gulps, Christmas just seems so lost. The epitome of this syndrome in my opinion is the jewelry advertisements ran during football games...

If you are gonna tell her that you love her... go all the way... prove your love with a diamond...

WOW! Call me unromantic if you want, but there seems something really insincere about proving someone's love by buying a thing... I guess I'm just a shepherd... I don't come with expensive gifts, but I kneel and worship.

So as usual, I have been my normal grumbley, bah, humbug self this holiday season. I even started my countdown. I would say, "Only twenty-two more days until Santa Claus's Birthday!"

But my friends are working on me. They are trying to break my old habits. One said, "It's only Santa's birthday if you let it be so!" And she forced a box full of Christmas lights, a little nativity set, and the world's smallest artificial tree into my arms. I rolled my eyes and went on home.

The next day, my four-year-old and I were playing computer games, watching the Tick on DVD and jumping on the bed. After while he grew tire of our normal routine and said, "I want to do something diddernt, daddy!"

I pulled out the box of happy, shiny, Christmassy things and we decorated my little apartment. It was so much fun. We talked about baby Jesus and why we give gifts. We talked about trees and lights and had many laughs. It was very Christmassy indeed.

It seems my friend was right. Christmas is only an advertisement for materialism if we let it be so. If we celebrate life, love and that Light sent to us on that day, we can make Christmas wonderful... So, as I stomp my humbug, I say, twenty more days until Jesus' Birthday. Merry Christmas everybody.