HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
Dec 3, 2003 I keep hearing how Christmas isn’t what it once was. That’s right because it once wasn’t. Christmas wasn’t celebrated in America until some time in the 1800’s. This brings us to why is it celebrated at all? If it’s not to honor Jesus as Christians do every Sunday, then why? Christians have a lot of days they honor the Messiah. Why make Christmas a special day of celebration? I have some ideas. There are those who claim Christmas is really a Pagan holiday hi-jacked by Christians in order to get an extra day off work every year. Others think it was the NFL that started the Holiday Season to promote football. Then of course there are those who blame the Jews. It was those Jewish shop keepers who came up with Christmas to sell Cheap Chinese Junk to Christians and Non-Christians. I have another theory. Music, that’s right music. Christmas is a catchy title it rhymes with a lot of things. Music can be used to inspire people. Music can entice people into buying things they don’t need. Music can motivate people to give stuff to other people they don’t need or want. Look at all the great songs that have been written about Christmas. And some haven’t been written but should.. Have you ever heard “ I wish you a Marry Kwanzaa” or “You better not pout, you better not cry Ramadan is coming”. I’d like to hear “Chanukah Tree oh Chanukah Tree” sang in German. I think Christmas has done a lot for Music. I like Christmas it makes me feel good. It inspires me to give presents to people. I don’t, it’s only a momentary inspiration. Then there are those people who are tone deaf, they could care less about music. Some subscribe to the more traditional Christmas story, the one about the pregnant teenager, the dirty old man and the donkey. I heard a story about a Jewish shop keeper in New England. The winters up there are brutal, business was slow. The shop keeper tells his Rabbi he can’t afford the pledge he has made to the Church. The Rabbi thinks for moment and comes up with an idea. You know that Jewish boy Jesus, the Christians worship? Lets give him a birthday party, you can sell presents. That will stimulate your business and you can keep your pledge to the Church. He’s dead we can’t give him a party. No, we get the Christians to give him the birthday party, they can give each other present in his name. The shop keeper thought about it. Sounds like a plan to me he said. This is another explanation for celebrating Christmas. Some of the younger generation thinks Wal Mart invented Christmas. Wal Mart may not have invented Christmas but they certainly have defined it in the last quarter century. No other business in history has ever done one billion dollars in Pre-Christmas sales in a single day. Wal Mart sales in one day exceeded the GNP of over half of the Countries in the world. 90% of the merchandise Wal Mart sells is manufactured out side of this Country. Our Government demands American workers be paid a minimum wage. They demand workers have certain guarantees and certain benefits. None of the Countries Wal Mart contracts with for goods have such ridged requirements protecting their employees. The average employer in America pays nearly 25% premium in fringe tax to the Government on each employee. The tariff on import goods from China and other Asian Countries is between 0% and 3%. This is why Christmas is celebrated through out the World. It pays big bucks. Then there’s the traditional Christmas dinner at Grandmas house. Granny’s in the kitchen putting the final touches on the dinner, bitching about how much work and how expensive it is to feed this bunch of freeloaders. Grandpa’s in his favorite chair ignoring everyone watching re-runs of old fishing shows. Aunt Bertha is spiking the punch with Gin, daring little five year old Susie to take a sip. The baby is in the hi-chair throwing strained peas at everyone who get close. Little Freddy is under the tree messing with all the presents. The rest of the family is in the living room yelling how they’ll never spend another holiday with this bunch of losers. It’s pretty much the typical get-to-gather with relatives. Then there are the few who know and celebrate what Christmas is really about. Honoring the birth of the Christ Child. It’s not about football, big dinners, expensive presents, family arguments, indigestion or all the other things that seem to come with the Holidays. It about a loving fellowship with family and friends. It’s about respecting the rights of others. It’s about the big smiles on the faces of little children as they open presents from Santa. It’s about going to Church and praying for peace in the World. It’ about bright lights and tinsel and songs of good will. It’s about our Politicians not fighting over un-important things and working on the really important business of Government, of the People, by the People, for the People. It’s about protecting those who can’t protect them selves. It’s about riding the world of terrorists. It’s about leaving a better world for our children and grandchildren than we got from ours forbearers. It’s about all these things regardless if you’re Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Agnostic, Atheist or any Religion. Lest we forget Jesus was a Jew who established the foundation for both the Christian and the Muslim doctrines from his understanding of Jewish religious Law, the Old Testament and an unshakable faith in God. That they have been altered and corrupted by some, need not tarnish the beliefs of others. I have taken some liberties in this article. It isn’t meant to demean any religion. Or to offend anyone. I take the right to practice religion very seriously. As I will defend the right not to practice religion. A great deal of my religion is seeing the humor as well as the serious side of all issues. I sincerely wish all who read my articles a very Happy Holiday Season, God Bless You One and All. ------------ About the Author: Ken Hughes is a retired businessman. A political junkie who's passion is the re-education of Liberals and Term Limits for Congress. He has had very little sucess at either. Email Ken Hughes: uncleken@wwnet.net Comment on this column in the forum. Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
