After a fine Thanksgiving of food, football, and fellowship, Americans turn once again to the annual chore of Christmas preparation. Stores are filled to capacity with hurried shoppers, purchasing gifts they cannot afford in keeping with the Christmas spirit.
It is the time of year when fantasy is rampant while reason and practicality are firmly pushed aside. Every individual is in competition with the other in search for the original gift — that perfect bauble of delight. This is the season to be jolly, and for many the jollies come from the local liquor store, where seasonal business is booming. Christmas American Style is not the celebration of a Savior and rededication of Christian values, but the search of a premature heaven through the pleasures found in trinkets and whiskey bottles.
For many people, Christmas is losing its meaning; the fault, however, is our own. We allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by Santa Claus and the usual Christmas paraphernalia. So much lavishness which precludes much emptiness. Certainly, we do need a respite from the drudgery of everyday existence, but not at the expense of our values.
Genuine solace and comfort are found in loved ones and the free gift of love. In an age where nothing is sacred, special homage should be made this Christmas to the divine Loved One, Jesus Christ, without whom there would be no Christmas or hope of eternity.