The reason for the season

I was raised Lutheran, in a really devout Pennsylvania Dutch family.  We went to church five times between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.  And on Christmas Eve, we attended two evening services, one at 7 and one at midnight.  And if Christmas Eve happened to fall on a Sunday, we went to the morning service as well.  The evening services often coincided with a performance for me.  Sometimes my brother and I did a duet, but usually I sang a solo, like "O Holy Night" for instance.  I still think it's a beautiful song (and fun to sing, btw), despite the fact that I haven't attended a Christian Christmas Eve service in many years.

In my youth I was quite adamant about the TRUE reason for Christmas.  It was all about baby Jesus, of course!  And then I went to college and learned about the Pagan Yule holiday and the conversions to Christianity.  Maybe it wasn't really about Jesus after all.

Nonetheless, I wanted to believe that the holiday is about peace and goodwill toward all.  It's such a lovely idea, isn't it?  There are even songs that say as much.  (Course they say goodwill to "man" or "mankind" but I hope you'll allow me this gender-neutral license.)

I look around me, desperate to find this peace and goodwill.  I run errands and discover hordes of vehicles on the roads, packing the parking lots...so much activity!  And so many of the people are annoyed, and frustrated, and cranky.  I try to avoid running errands this time of year.  And malls?  Malls are downright scary places at Christmas time.

What is the season about?  Shopping.  Buying presents, lots of presents.  Regardless of how much money someone has (or doesn't have), now is the time to spend, spend, spend!  Is that supposed to reveal generosity?  I don't feel generous when I buy Christmas presents, I feel obligated.

And yet, I feel somewhat ambivalent.  Our economy relies upon this activity to keep businesses afloat and to provide jobs for millions.  But I'll admit that I'd prefer to see more employment in the provision of basic services for our fellow Americans.  Better education, better infrastructure, better parks and recreation, better care for the most vulnerable.  Instead, we've collectively decided that we want jobs that provide us with more cheap stuff.  After all, WalMart employes 1.4 million of our fellow citizens.  So I guess that's what really matters.