I usually write about the magic of Christmas, the legends and stories that have been told for millennia. But I can’t seem to get in the spirit this year. The horrors of October 7 in the holy land seem to over whelm the typical thoughts of love and peace that permeate this holiday season.
I did most of my Christmas shopping on line. That’s not a good thing. It’s easier, faster, and often cheaper than going to the mall, but you miss out on the hustle and bustle of moms and dads and kids laughing and deciding what to give to whom. It takes away from the fun part of the season.
I’m saddened by the antisemitism that we are seeing at our universities, and on street corners, and at our houses of government. This is nothing more than raw hatred, with no reason. If you are a Jew, I hate you. How can people think that way? It makes no sense.
As I write this, we are six days from Christmas. It’s time for us to jump start this season. We need to think about what the birth of that child 2,000 years ago really means. Each part of the story, the stable, the wise men, the angels, the star, the shepherds, Mary, Joseph, and the baby. They all have an important part in our lives as Christians. It’s time to consider them, and the story, and to smile and remember.
Remember how it was when we were kids. Recreate the joy, the love, and the peace that we experienced then. Welcome your friends and neighbors, no matter their religion, and share the time with them. There is nothing more precious than a babe in arms, the story of the gifts, the songs of the angels, and yes the hope and peace that surrounded that day.
Take a moment and join with us here at PT, and wish everyone, be they Christian or Jew, Islam or Buddhist, Shinto or Tao, agnostic or atheist, a most Merry Christmas, and the happiest of holiday seasons.
