TIS THE SEASON, YOU KNOW...

'Tis the season to be... jolly? Maybe "joyful" would be a better fit. Maybe "happy" would work. ANY of them would actually work just fine... if it weren't for people who are dedicated to the proposition of making sure everyone they come in contact with is as miserable as they are!
And while I'm thinking about it, I want to just go ahead and get this off my chest right off the bat. It's MERRY CHRISTMAS... NOT happy holiday... happy Quansa or whatever they call it... it's NOT happy winter festival... it's MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! CHRIST-mas!!! It's the day we have chosen to celebrate the birth of the Savior of all mankind... nothing less... nothing more. It has to do with CHRIST... nothing less... nothing more... NO ONE else but JESUS... PERIOD. If people don't believe in Christ... then don't celebrate the holiday. They should just go about their business and leave everyone else alone so they can enjoy it.
That's why when people say happy holidays or anything except what it actually is, I smile and as politely as possible, say; "Merry Christmas!"
I am absolutely amazed at how many people take on the personality of Ebeneezer Scrooge during this wonderful time of year. It seems to me that the one single character trait that goes missing in far too many people this time of year is JOY... or joyfulness... or happiness... or being jolly. 'Tis the season to be... you know.
It somehow has been appointed by our culture and our society to begin an earnest effort to radically reduce or even eliminate real joy... ESPECIALLY this time of year. And for whatever reason, our culture has decided that the day after Thanksgiving shall be the day that their efforts shift into high gear. We all sit around our dinner tables and express our thankfulness with family or friends, and less than 24 hours later, it evolves into an "every man for himself" mindset that feeds a "don't mess with me" attitude.
I do have to confess that I find the "black Friday" tag they've hung on this particular day to be one of the most accurately tagged days of the year. I also have to confess that I tend to regard ANYONE who would get up and 3:00 am to stand outside in the elements in a long line to save $3.42 as somewhat short on their ability to reason or think clearly.
Personally, I wouldn't get up at that hour, go stand outside in line for 3 or 4 hours so I could proudly tell my friends that I got there first, if they were GIVING the stuff away. That's not being Scrooge-ish, that's just being hip to the scam. Listen, when the store marks the price up by 80% on Wednesday night and then on Black Friday, sells it to you for 70% off... YOU do the math. I don't mean to burst your bubble, but you really aren't saving all the money you think you are.
I've also noticed that "black Friday" is the day when most Christmas shoppers are at the peak of their Christmas spirit. It seems to go downhill from there with each passing day.
The closer you get to Christmas, the less joy you see on the faces of the shoppers. Each day seems to bring out something a little worse in people than the day before. By the time you finally get to the week of Christmas, itself, you'd BETTER not venture out of the house with any expectation of seeing people in the market place having fun... 'cause it ain't gonna happen. In fact, the shopkeepers and poor souls who work in the retail industry are so tired of dealing with grouches and idiots, that by the time Christmas finally gets here, they're exhausted. And those sweet little old grannies will run you over with their shopping cart, frown, growl, and if provoked, call you all manner of unclean names should you cross them... intentionally or not.
Don't get me wrong... I love Christmas. And I love to give and receive gifts at Christmas. But as for me, personally, I'd much rather receive a gift someone made.
I may seem a little old fashioned, but I'd much rather make someone a gift than buy them one. The reason being, that all the while I'm making it, I'm thinking of them... I'm praying for them... and I want them to know that I think they're special enough in my eyes for me to go to all the extra trouble.
Giving gifts at Christmas is without question, an appropriate expression of celebrating this one day a year. After all... this is the day we celebrate the most amazing gift ever given. This amazing gift, given to all men, was given by none other than Almighty God, the Omnipotent Creator of everything. That in itself is mind boggling to me.
The gift tells me that I can know without a doubt that God thought I was special enough to go to all the trouble. And THAT concept is BEYOND mind boggling!!! The Psalmist, a man after God's own heart wrote: "What is man that You are mindful of him?" I suppose the psalmist must have perceived God and all He has done for us to be a "wonderment"... I know I sure have. God, one day, decided to give man a gift... WOW! And no gift... NO gift ever fashioned by the hand of man, regardless of it's craftsmanship, elegance or beauty can even come close to comparing to the gift God gave us.
The gift... a Savior for sinful man. The gift... The one and only means of mankind's reconciliation with a Holy God. The gift... the person of Jesus Christ, of Nazareth, born to a virgin in a rented stall of a barn in Bethlehem, and laid in a manger. The gift... without question, the most amazing gift EVER given.
How can we think of such an awe-inspiring moment in time and NOT be happy? How can we consider that Almighty God had us on His mind and decided that we were worth all the trouble, and NOT be filled with joy?
Maybe we all ought to just lighten up a bit... this is supposed to be fun time. 'Tis the season, you know... but then Hey... It's Just A Thought.