I need Christmas NOW!

Today, I went shopping at the local big box store.  I got angry when I saw that Halloween and Thanksgiving must have already happened and that the displays were all about Christmas.   It is SEPTEMBER, and I grew furious at the greed of retailers trying to push the season.  As I wandered between the sample stations, it dawned on me that I need Christmas and I need it NOW; I can’t wait till the end of December. I need the meaning and hope that is the essence of that day, not the pressure of finding the perfect gift or running up the credit cards.  We have all heard the carols that wish for Christmas to last through the year; it has never happened in my lifetime.  So, maybe if we start early, the meaning of that Child’s birth might last a little longer than a few days.

With all the anger and divisiveness that seem to surround us this year, we need Christmas NOW.   I see good and well meaning people fighting for all the wrong reasons, families torn apart because of ideology, and confusion between doing what is right and what is legal.

We need the true meaning of Christmas to show up as early as the fake trees emerge.  We need the message of hope and love to counter the anger, despair and even hatred that have emerged in our world.  We need to learn from the example of those who gathered at his birth.  People of different colors, nationality and socioeconomic status were able to unite in a stable in Bethlehem in peace and unity.   No congressional hearings or smear campaigns, just a message that we can unite and get along.  That Child, born into poverty, was able to change the world.  He didn’t need Facebook, a selfie, or a Twitter account; He offered us hope, something that we clearly lack today.

He offers us a message that we can care for each other, that we should do what is right rather than pursue profit at the expense of humanity.  That undocumented, illegal immigrant whose family fled Herod to escape to Egypt gave us a message of understanding and inclusion.  He fed the poor, healed the sick (regardless of co-pays and deductibles) and hung around with those who needed Him most. I think that He preferred to hang with the thieves and prostitutes rather than politicians (a perfectly understandable position).

So, for all those reasons, I have decided to start the celebration of Christmas early.  I need to embrace the hope He offers, rather than the hopelessness that surrounds us.  I want to substitute charity for criticism and embrace gratitude for the true gifts of Christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS