If you have been watching the ads in the papers or on TV you have seen the ones that offering clearance prices on their Christmas stuff. It's not even Thanksgiving yet! Before long the Christmas holiday will be so spread out over the year that there probably will be minimal meaning of the holiday. Letting go of the history and significance of any holiday further erodes our senses that surface. In the future we will go through the holidays from a commercial message alone. The actual meaning of any holiday can change and be replaced with different times and places to where we stand and look at the holiday and it means nothing but a family meal and some gifts. Some things cannot and will not be changed.
Birthdays will be constant in our lives. December 25 is Jesus' birthday. May 23rd is my birthday. Neither one will change. They cannot. However, we can celebrate them on a different day and be okay with doing so. The 1st of January will always be New Years Day. Memorial day is always where it is. July 4th is July 4th. It's most convenient to have these holidays celebrated on a weekend. Preferably on a "long" weekend. Time is important but timing is essential. Timing is a pivotal element of success or failure. Too soon or too late ruins the event. For instance men, forgetting your anniversary or your wife's birthday. Not good! Remembering it too early. Same problem. Being able to read minds helps us to function in our world.
When we begin to look at Christmas from a human point of view the day takes off in different directions. However, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus and that fact doesn't change. We need to take care that our celebration of the birth of Jesus isn't overshadowed by Black Friday or other events. For many parts of the country it's already too late. Can this trend be turned around? Not if the stores are left to decide. Perhaps the real question on an individual level should be "How much of you (or I) believes that Christmas is about Jesus and not about the sales?" Having spent quite a few Christmases seeing nothing but commercialism, I am not hopeful that Christmas will have anything to say about Jesus in the near future.
Another irritant is the squeezing out of other holidays. Thanksgiving hasn't even happened and already the Thanksgiving clearance sales are gone and the Christmas sales have started. In some areas the Christmas clearance sales are already begun. I think that's both wrong and it sets up people, especially children into ignoring the message of Christmas. It's not just about Jesus. These holidays are about giving. Not how much can I get but how much can I give. This isn't just about presents or money. Sometimes giving your time is the best gift to someone elses day.
What should be clearing at these holidays are the worries of people regarding what they have come up against in their lives. Many people cannot afford the holidays (financially or emotionally). What they get is not what they need. People need people as a very real touch in their lives. You and I have the same needs in varying ways. To truly celebrate Christmas you need to be able to give the gift of Jesus to those around you. The eternal gift is for all regardless of who they are in the family or society. Don't go to the Christmas clearance sale.
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