The Dancer in the Shadows

Monday, December 23, 2013

Approaching Holidays

With the holidays approaching, I wonder what we as a people are really doing to ourselves...

We are flooded with blatant commercialization and very few outside of the fiercely religious seem to recall where these holidays came from or what they really mean.

I recall being irritated during my Christian (Roman Catholic, to be specific) upbringing with the excessive commercialization then, and over the years it has only gotten worse.

To the Christians of all denominations: your celebration is about the birth of the One you believe to be the Savior of your immortal souls.  On the assumption that the nativity narrative in the Gospels is word for word accurate, HE WAS BORN IN A STABLE AND HIS FIRST BABY CRIB WAS AN ANIMALS' FOOD TROTH!  Where in that is there any race to see who can give the best gifts, or worse, get the most or most expensive gifts?

To those who are not Christian, but 'celebrate' Christmas anyway: what are you doing?  Why are you celebrating a different (competing?) religion's second most holy holiday?  Why wait until a specific day on the calendar to give loved ones gifts?

And to both groups: if you have to force yourself to find something for the gift giving, does the gift really come from your heart?  Or is it coming from a feeling of obligation to do what's expected?  If it is the latter, you're better off ignoring the calendar, and giving gifts that really mean something regardless of what day it is.

--- The Dancer in the Shadows