By Nick DeMarco
Staff Writer
To me, one of the most glorious things about America is that we all have different traditions and celebrations that we do every year around the holidays. This also includes anyone who celebrates Hanukah or Kwanzaa. Still, I would consider those who celebrate those holidays lucky, compared to the outlandish attempts by atheists and those so-called “free thinkers” who want to alter the holiday we call Christmas.
Yes Christmas, not X-Mas. I can’t express in words how much I hate that spelling of Christmas. I can stand someone saying “Happy Holidays”, but still, it doesn’t run off the tongue like “Merry Christmas” does. In schools there are no talks about the true meaning of Christmas, no kids just get the generic talks about Santa Claus and the concept of gifts, which is another qualm of this writer. Christmas is not all about gifts, at least, it shouldn’t be, but let’s look at this from a realistic point of view, shall we?
When I was a kid, yes, Christmas was all about gifts, not because I was a greedy child, but because no one really taught me what Christmas was all about. To me, Christmas was about gifts and getting together with a ton of my extended family members and eating lots of food. Nobody told me because a special baby was born years and years ago that it was the reason we were celebrating this holiday.
I can’t speak for all parents, because, well, I’m not one myself, but I have this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that the reason kids aren’t told about why we call it Christmas is because parents feel awkward about talking about it, almost like how later on in their child’s life, they’ll be uneasy talking about sex, alcohol, and drugs. It’s sad really, because it’s all a cycle. If a child believes the holidays are all about presents, they’ll grow up to teach their children that, and so on.
So, is Christ really losing his spot when it comes to Christmas? Well, just going on Google, I found so many different articles about this topic, from atheists wanting the holiday to be about the sun (The sun?! Are you serious?), to steadfast journalists who believe no matter how hard you try, you can’t take Christ out of Christmas, and that all attempts to do so are pathetic. I believe I share the same views as this journalist.
Many Christian families, whether the kids want to or not, go to church services every holiday season. Churches and organizations help families who cannot afford gifts and food on Christmas. As much as the media and the government may try to abolish the use of Christian values in public schools, it is still very visible out in the world, it’s passed on by people every year, the “spirit of Christmas” is very Christ-like in the helping hands we see each year at soup kitchens and non-profit organizations.
Yes, Christmas is unfortunately very much about commercialism, its about companies making dividends each year by spending millions of dollars on commercials, flyers, setting up huge blockbuster sales on Black Friday(which that name in itself makes you think about the decline of Christmas, doesn’t it?), and making sure they meet the profits they need.
Still, I believe, as a Christian, that the true meaning of Christmas always shines through. You can try to suffocate it all you want, but as long as there’s one person to carry it on, it will always exist, and I believe that’s exactly as that little baby in Bethlehem would have liked it, don’t you?