Monday, December 8, 2008

Amanda- Putting the Christ back in Christmas??


With the holidays just around the corner I felt it appropriate to discuss the great ways in which our country has completely exploited the holiday of Christmas. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I love the wonderful American traditions associated with Christmas, I am merely pointing out the illusion that Christmas in America is meant to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

We must consider the fact that our country was founded on religious freedom, and these attempts at making Christmas more focused on family than faith may just be our answer to letting everyone celebrate it…. Or it might just be a way for marketers to trick us into thinking we are being inclusive, but really just making sure they make money off of everyone. It is now considered politically incorrect to say “Merry Christmas,” and the appropriate greeting is “happy holidays.” After all, corporations wouldn’t want to offend any Jews, Muslims, Agnostics or non-believers and run the risk of losing their business, would they?

From the day after thanksgiving we are bombarded with television commercials, radio and magazine ads, and even e-mails alerting us of the great things we need to buy in order to prove our love to the people around us. Stores battle for our attention to communicate that their products are the best and convince us that we are smart for choosing to spend our hard earned money there.
Available exclusively, and for a limited time: for only $59.99, you can finally show your boyfriend that you are in love with him and are ready for him to pop the question already!
Sounds great, doesn’t it?

(I can almost hear the sound of Lauren banging her fist on her desk in disgust)

Let me reiterate here, there is nothing wrong with buying presents, or participating in the holiday. Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year, and I think the holiday season is a great time to get together with loved ones and reflect on the year that has passed. I just want America as a whole to recognize what it is we are actually celebrating, and embrace it. If your family happens to be religious or spiritual, great. If not, great. Christmas can still be a time for Christian practices, or it can just be an excuse for you to see your extended family once a year. Either way, Christmas is a time for all of us to reaffirm and express the love we have in our lives and that is truly something to be celebrated.

2 comments:

Kip Redick said...

The Christians essentially stole Christmas by making placing the birth/incarnation of Jesus on the day of the Winter Solstice, which had been celebrated by pagan groups for centuries. But we are of one mind in this; political correctness is a sham.

Kip Redick said...

That comment was written by AHB