Skipping Christmas

 

I had the opportunity to hold a book discussion at my favorite Independent Living Center yesterday. I always enjoy visiting with the gals and sharing book discussions with them. I’ve been visiting this particular center for over a couple of years now and know these ladies quite well. I have shared many stories with them and they have laughed and cried with me through it all.

Yesterday we discussed the book, Skipping Christmas by John Grisham and although we all agreed the author probably wrote the book for lack of anything else to write at the time, rather than his normal legal thrillers, we thought the book was a humdinger in some chapters and depressing in others.

I asked this group of astute women “Have you ever thought about skipping Christmas?” They all said they would to a certain degree. One woman said, “I’m 84 years old and if I don’t want to conform to what others feel that I should be doing for Christmas, I’m not going to do it.” They all agreed that Christmas has become so commercial, so gimme, gimme and nothing like it used to be!

They shared with me some of their childhood holiday memories which gave me a warm fuzzy throughout my body.  It was mentioned that although it was still hyped as a gift-buying occasion by the retail industry, more emphasis was placed on the religious aspects of the holiday than now.

Why have we done this? Why have we taken the most precious reason for the season out of the season? Christmas has the most symbolic word meshed into it; CHRIST. The reason for this holiday is for the celebration of Christ’s birth. Let me remind you of some scriptures and prayers to reflect on this season:

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us. And the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His kingdom. To establish it and uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. AMEN

If you believe that Christmas has lost its true meaning and you are a believer; study scripture; recite your prayers, meet with the heavenly father every morning, believe in the Divine; then help stop the commercial insanity. Skip The Commercial Christmas! Let’s join hands, bow our heads and pray that hearts would be turned this year and people would see that it’s not about all the presents, food and socializing. It’s about the birth of Christ; being with family and carrying out the warm fuzzy feeling all year round.