Too Much Christmas

The country seems to be divided into two factions and this one has nothing to do with the recent election. No, this one is built around the holidays.

Forget the argument for now as to whether it should be called Christmas or the Holidays (people actually get fired up about this?). No, this one is about the commercialization of Christmas. We have truly turned our attention from what should matter most to what we want to matter the most – the material side of this time of year.

Most everyone has to know the real “reason behind the season” for Christians (of which I am one) is the birthday of Jesus Christ. It seems like the majority of Christians celebrating this time of year remember to go to church for Christmas services. But they also seem to be much, much more focused on the more commercial elements of the holidays.

It starts with the lights and the life-size figures inside and outside our houses. I actually started seeing these getting put up before Halloween. Two months before the actual holiday. If we treated Halloween like this, we would be seeing monsters right after kids started back to school. Could you imagine if guys had to celebrate Valentine’s Day like Christmas?

 

This gets followed up with people practically mortgaging their houses in order to purchase gifts. This is great for the retailers out there but not so much for the people who need to pay bills in January and beyond. Good thing for credit cards.

It’s a great time of year and I’m not one to tell people to stop celebrating in their own way. But it seems excessive – whether it is the Christmas music in July, the abundance of Christmas lights during Halloween, or the fervor that takes place surrounding Black Friday each year. It’s a mess.

Yes, I enjoy the lights. I enjoy some of the music to a point. And who doesn’t like the giving and receiving of presents? But it seems like all of the focus is built around the lights, the music and the gifts. Even the holiday parties. Meanwhile, there is that one day on the 25^th of December that is the source of all of it. It seems as if Santa Claus is more popular than Jesus Christ. Let’s get back to focusing on him too.