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It is that season again. I think that it is a great time of year for not only the Christian World but for the whole World. I am one of those folks that believe that the Holiday Season is for everyone and not just the ones that celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is a time of year that every culture can celebrate and that many do. This time of year has been celebrated throughout time and throughout the world. The Jews and their festival of lights. The Germans had a Yule Festival. Celtic legends connected the solstice with Badler, the Scandinavian sun god who was struck down by a mistletoe arrow. The Romans had their festival of Saturnalia , Romans feasted and gave gifts to the poor. Of course drinking was always closely connected with these festivals. At some point the church began celebrating Christmas this time of year to transform the pagan rituals into a Christian Holiday. The Puritans forbid the celebration of Christmas because of all the pagan origins.

To be honest with you no one knows the date of Jesus’s birth. I had a guy that worked with me that he was a Jehovah Witness and he said that Jesus was born sometime in October but when he was birth was not to be celebrated, his death was. I had heard that before. If we are suppose to remember Jesus by his death then why are we celebrating Christmas at all? As I had already stated, it was so all the pagan festivals could become Christian Festivals.  Let’s face it, when it came to partying pagans really knew how to throw a party. I don’t have a problem with that. I don’t like to make light of the Holiday season but let’s face it, much of the spice of the Holiday Season came from the pagan celebrations of the past.

I really love the Holiday Season but this Holiday Season seems different. There seems to be less talk about the season of charity and the season of love. You don’t hear a lot of “Peace on Earth Good Will Toward Men”. Let’s be honest, there isn’t a lot of that going around today. You don’t hear a lot about putting “Christ back into Christmas”. I think that really putting Jesus back into the discussion is something too many so called Christians would not want. Love thy neighbor is something that Jesus wanted us to live by. How do you love thy neighbor if you think that you are superior. How do you love thy neighbor when you think that they are subservient to you. Much of the “Christmas Charity” seems to be lacking this year. Maybe it’s just me but I don’t think so.

It seems funny that many are celebrating the birth of a man that lived the life of good will and charity to others. He was the type of man that would help people climb walls, not build them. He was not a rich man by our society’s standards or an important man. People now call him the King of Kings but I really don’t think he looks at life the way a ruler would. Whether I believe that Jesus was the Son of God, to me, is not important. The most important thing is that he lived and  his words were so profound that they started a whole new religion. His words were something that he wanted us to live by. Love, help, charity, and peace, those were the words I think that he wanted us to remember and you don’t have to be a Christian to know that those words are important. He would not have wanted us to build walls. He would not have wanted us to put children in cages. He didn’t talk about abortion even though it was occurring back then, he talked out personal responsibility and lifting people up. He talked about helping and loving our neighbors. He would want us to feed the poor. His disciples did not live like kings. They lived like homeless people depending on people’s charity for their daily needs. Today some of the people that are spreading his word are living in huge mansions like kings. His words were not meant for personal profit. They were meant as a way to live our lives.

Even though I don’t consider myself a Christian I do believe that the lessons I learned in Sunday school were important lessons. The way we live our life is what is important and how we lived our life is how we will be judged when we are gone. I grew up in a Lutheran household and Christmas was always a big deal. Christmas Eve was always at my Grandmother’s house and Christmas day was always at our house. We would go to the Christmas Eve service and I remember how my Uncles would sing so wonderfully to songs like “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night”. Today I am living in Florida and my children are in Wisconsin and because I am divorced from their mother I haven’t spent Christmas day or Eve with my Children for over 20 years. It isn’t that we have a bad relationship. We actually have a wonderful relationship but they always have had their mother on Christmas Eve and their In-laws on Christmas Day so I just backed away so they wouldn’t be as conflicted. In a way Christmas is a time for sacrifices. I found new ways to make Christmas special but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss my boys on Christmas because I do. I have never spent an actual Christmas with my grandchildren. This year we flew up in the middle of December to watch my oldest grandson play Basketball and we brought our presents with us so that there is will something from us under the tree Christmas Morning. We still decorate the inside and outside of the condo for Christmas and this year I think we did an above average job. We will have friends and some of my wife’s cousins Christmas eve and Christmas day. My cardiologist would not approve of my diet for those two days but what the hell, it’s Christmas.

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