By Hannah Johnson
Editor-in-Chief
As kids grow up they are constantly being told to share and that everybody needs to get a turn. No one taught the holidays that, though; at least, not Christmas.
Christmas is my favorite holiday, but it really is an attention hog. It’s not enough that it gets a whole month dedicated to the preparation and celebration for it; no! It is attempting to weasel its way into Thanksgiving’s time too. We don’t do anything to stop it either. In fact, we encourage it.
Every year it seems like the craze for Christmas starts earlier and earlier. I get really tired of walking into the store and seeing Christmas things when it hasn’t even gotten to Halloween yet, and sometimes you see it even earlier. Hobby Lobby keeps Christmas merchandise out all year ’round, so if you wanted to buy a tree in July, you could.
We have so carelessly blurred the lines between holidays which is keeping us from being able to really focus on why we even celebrate the holiday in the first place.
We celebrate Christmas to celebrate Jesus’ birth; if we strip away all the lights and tinsel, we should still find Him as the root of the holiday. Socially, Christmas has been tainted, and all the emphasis is based on who gave the best gifts. We should be giving the gifts to share love with one another. Instead, it’s turned into a contest.
We need to go back to the reason for the season, which may help curb the Christmas invasion from taking over the whole year.
I always think back to Linus from “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Charlie Brown is having an identity crisis and is frustrated, wondering if anyone knows what Christmas is all about. Linus, in his quiet little voice says, “I can tell you what Christmas is about, Charlie Brown.” Blue blanket in hand, Linus walks on stage and shares the story of Jesus’ birth from the Bible. When all is said, he looks at Charlie Brown and says, “That’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.”
Well put, Linus, well put.
