Every year I hear people complain that Christmas is getting more and more commercialized. Actually one of those voices has been mine. Christmas merchandise is on the store shelves by the day after Halloween, holiday misic greets the customers, and sales abound to entice early shoppers. Christmas is good for the economy.
I even heard a TV actress exclaim, "God, I hate Christmas!" I must admit that it took a moment to get over the initial shock of hearing her tell the Creator she didn't appreciate His Christmas gift. Then I realized she was actually addressing her television audience and using the term "God" as an increasing number of Americans do, to emphasize her upcoming point.
Even if we resist the urge to jump on the Christmas bandwagon immediately after Halloween, we abruptly come to our senses with the arrival of the newspaper on Thanksgiving morning! One could literally spend the day pouring over the brightly colored ads, if one didn't have to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for twenty-three people by two-thirty PM. One could complete the list of gifts needed, where to buy each one, and the best route to conquer the 7 to 11 AM doorbusters happening the next day.
So, what can we do? Can we resist this growing menace of commercialism? Let's plan now. But wait! Maybe there's a better idea coming. Why not use the ways of the world to accomplish what we really want for Christmas - a beautiful, unhurried time to celebrate the birth of Christ with family and friends.
It may be hard to think "Christmas" when you haven't yet swept up the broken Jack-o-lantern from your driveway, but merchants are making it easier each year. So why not cull out that which is commercial and tend to business in a logical manner during the first two weeks of November. Imagine thanking God on Thanksgiving that you've finished your Christmas shopping!
December could be spent on the yearly trek to get a Christmas tree, decorating the home for the celebration, enjoying traditional holiday music, wrapping and tagging the gifts, putting them under the tree, addressing the Christmas cards, and spending an evening with special friends. Isn't that enough for one month? Wonder of wonders, we might even go to church on Christmas Eve knowing that preparations for the next day were complete! Surely the candles would seem brighter, our hearts would be lighter, and His natal star whiter in this dark and frantic world.
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