Ideas for Next Christmas

By George Pence–

Christmas is my favorite holiday, and when I was young that preference was broadly shared in American culture, but how about today?

On the day before Christmas Eve my wife and I were traveling to Saturday night mass. As we passed by commercial districts the traffic was thick and the sidewalks and parking lots were full. Lights and decorations were omnipresent and every public place was a frenzy of activity.

I said to my wife, “I really love Christmas.”

Was some part of that remark a reference to the spiritual meaning of Christmas? Well, I suppose so, after all we were on our way to mass. But honestly, a large part of that enthusiasm had other sources – including childhood memories, a perverse enthusiasm for crowds, rum balls, presents etc. etc.

My wife shared a response repeated from every previous time I’m shared that enthusiasm for Christmas, “Honestly, I prefer Thanksgiving.”

Her response has always caused my holiday gears to jam with harsh grinding effect. It’s like hearing someone say, “I hate fireworks,” or “I prefer cold showers.” And yet I understood what she meant. Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday that also celebrates faith and family, but without all the pressure or crass commercialism.

Thanksgiving is inexpensive and it comes without the month long invitation to feel depressed if all your personal relationships have not born fruit.

So what can be done about this sad state of Christmas celebration?

Here are some miscellaneous ideas that aren’t a complete prescription for holiday cheer, but they are observations that might be worth your consideration and if you have opinions of a similar nature the space below is yours to provide helpful input.

• How about reserving Christmas entirely for the celebration of faith and treasured company. Just like the Wise Men, let’s move gift giving to Epiphany. After all they were called “wise men” for a reason.
• Maybe it’s a mistake to tie gift giving to any holiday, or even to birthdays or anniversaries. A gift that comes as the result of perceived obligation is not nearly as meaningful as a gift borne on nothing more than love and thoughtfulness.
• Let’s ban “Jingle Bells” and “Frosty the Snowman.” Have you noticed how “Christmas music” has now become “Holiday music” with very little sacred content? Could we have a little more “Silent Night,” and “Come All Ye Faithful?”
• My stepdaughter and her husband gave as their Christmas gift a family outing to see the new Star Wars movie. These were not gift certificates, but a date and time for all of us to get together and enjoy something as a family – together.
• My wife mentioned that she was taking a small gift of baked goods to an elderly woman living alone that both of us know. Me, “Mr. Christmas,” never even had the thought, let alone the initiative to reach out to someone not in our family for Christmas. That sort of thoughtfulness should be a required course for anyone hoping to graduate with a degree in Christmas.

Well those are my ideas for a Christmas tune up. I hope you and your family are having a great holiday. Even with all our human failings Christmas remains the great reminder that mankind’s greatest hope is a baby nestled in straw.