| |
| |
|
Holidays Information |
|
|
|
Taking Back Christmas
John Grisham wrote a book called SKIPPING CHRISTMAS. Amazon.com reports: "John Grisham turns a satirical eye on the overblown ritual of the festive holiday season, and the result is Skipping Christmas, a modest but funny novel about the tyranny of December 25...." My friend Dessa Byrd Reed, author of the poetry books THE BUTTERFLY TOUCH and SEVEN BRIDGES, prefers nontraditional holidays. She wrote in THE DESERT WOMAN that as a widow she often spends time with friends over the holidays, take trips, or simply goes out to eat on Christmas (not necessarily turkey). It's easy to see why, especially if you grew up with traditional Christmas expectations of warmth, family, and usually, expressions of faith. Christmas is under attack in this country. I think it was my high school AP Government class that asked us about cases involving removing Nativity scenes from public places. At the risk of revealing my ripe old age of 32, that was in 1990. First we had the trend of saying Xmas for Christmas. Then Christmas sales started way back before Halloween. Now, the holiday season is more about parties, overeating and drinking, and commercialism than expressing spirituality, in particular and especially the Christian faith. The secularists don't much like church, whether because of parents who used religion as an excuse for too-strict disciplines (or hatred and prejudice), drug trips in the '60s, or fanaticism (never mind that Christ welcomed everyone). This secularist attitude got wonderful treatment in a recent episode of "Jack & Bobby" co-created by Brad Meltzer, bestselling author and a friend. When we try to kick Christ out of a holiday named for Him, our society has a problem. What's been the result of using the euphemism "holiday" and banning the Nativity? Congress may not be making any law about the free expression of religion, but the elite brain trust is acting like the Church of England kicking out the Puritans. What's the result? Clashes over religion. Holiday depression. Loneliness around the holidays, especially in nursing homes. Suicide. What's lost among the way? The spirit of giving. Warmth and compassion. Communion with family, friends and neighbors. And yes, that pesky expression of faith the secularists on the far left moan about. Ever notice that when it comes to their free expression of faith or lack thereof, they scream "racism" or "[fill in the blank] phobia" whenever Bill O'Reilly or anyone for that matter dares to pray or remind them that there is a God beyond their ideology? They accuse Christians of proselytizing but don't hesitate to lecture on what is and what is not offensive today. President George Bush is mocked for his faith, and Senator John Kerry, a Roman Catholic, seems to have his usual difficulty sticking to a point on thorny social issues. No wonder the conventional wisdom was always not to discuss religion and politics, and for whatever God's sake, don't mix the two (even though it happens time and again), and let's just all get along and sing carols at Christmas. It seems that people are rebelling. The success of "Passion of the Christ," the Da Vinci Code and the Left Behind Series, as well as "Joan of Arcadia," "7th Heaven," and "Touched by an Angel" indicates a movement in popular culture. Instead of skipping Christmas, let's take back Christmas in our homes and families. Unless your family members and friends are Orthodox Jews or Muslims, you can celebrate Christmas with them. After all, Judaism and Islam recognize Jesus Christ as a prophet. Every religion celebrates the spirit of giving, from Kabbalah to Hinduism. We all agree we have too much stuff, too much food (as our overweight society proves), too much alcohol, too little kindness, patience and respect. We all want connection, love, belonging, and a place in the manger. Top ten tips for taking back Christmas: 1) Make homemade gifts. Skip the malls. You don't have to be Martha Stewart to give something from the heart. 2) Invite friends or relatives to dinner instead of trying to give expensive gifts that no one uses anyway. 3) Don't roll your eyes when someone says, "Peace on earth, goodwill toward men." And for Goddess' sake, don't use the "men" part to launch an anti-male rant. 4) Whatever your faith, speak up and say that Christian-bashing (or bashing of any kind) offends you, especially around the Christmas season. 5) Get together with friends and family and make care packages for homeless shelters,nursing homes, etc. Make that your gift to each other. 6) Call those friends or relatives you usually avoid talking to. Hearing about your old college roommate's third marriage might not thrill you, especially since you can't get a word in edgewise, but it's a good way to give of your time, something we all feel we don't have enough of but make for friends anyway. 7) If you're just dying to cook that turkey dinner but your parents or mother-in-law insist on doing it THEIR way, give in. This is not a "me me me" time. 8) Rent or watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Linus' recitation of the Bible and the gang's rendition of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" could make even Scrooge smile. And even Lucy van Pelt admits, "Charlie Brown is a blockhead, but he did get a nice tree." 9) Take quiet time to think, meditate, and yes, pray. Consider it the mental vacation to Tahiti you can't take because the family has camped out at your house. 10) Appreciate your children's gifts, especially the homemade macaroni ornaments. The first gift of Christmas was a child. We've taken back our streets. We've taken back the night. Let's all take back Christmas, and we won't have to skip it. But if you do feel like skipping Christmas to restore your faith, do it. The gift of one less stressed grumpy person around the holidays is priceless. Kristin Johnson is co-author of Christmas Cookies Are For Giving: Stories, Recipes and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts (ISBN: 0-9723473-9-9). A downloadablemedia kit is available at our Web site, www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com, or e-mail the publisher (info@tyrpublishing.com) to receive a printed media kit and sample copy of the book. More articles available at http://www.bakingchristmascookies.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Are You Going To Survive The Holidays? Admit it! You promised this year was not going to be like the last few.. Fitness Tips On How To Avoid Gaining Weight During The Holiday Season This holiday season don't be trendy - avoid the Seasonal Seven (the average weight most Americans gain between Thanksgiving and New Year's). That's one trend you don't want to participate in!I know what you are thinking - the holidays are a time for fun and indulgence. How to Put Some Sizzle in Your Summer Parties: 5 Ways to be a Gracious Host and a Great Guest Now that the hot weather is finally here, we are looking forward to long, lazy days on the beach and hot summer nights that heat up after dark. Here are a few tips from lifestyle guru Kim Kristofferson-Magnusson on maximizing your fun in the sun!1) For family celebrations?KEEP IT SIMPLE!!Whether you're hosting a graduation party for 20 or a family reunion for 200, remember that it's your day to have fun too! To make the most of your time visiting with family and friends, take a vacation from your oven and corral your "grillmaster" of choice out on the patio. The Only Way to Turn New Year Resolutions Into Reality! So you ate, drank and spent too much over the Holidays. Now you are overweight, bloated, tired and broke, and you are promising yourself that you are going to change all that this year!There are two reasons why New Year Resolutions don't work;1st we try and take on too much,2nd we don't believe in ourselves. Valentines Day - Where Did THAT Come From? Just as soon as the stores put away their Christmas merchandise, out comes the Valentine's Day items - even though Valentine's is still more than six weeks away.I don't know why, but it always takes me by surprise to see Valentine's Day merchandise so soon after Christmas. I Just Love It! "I Just Love It!"You know the scenario. You're sitting at the family Christmas gathering and your ten-year-old opens one of Aunt Martha's itchy homemade sweaters. Aran... Where the Sweaters Come From Aran Sweaters. The Aran sweater takes its name from the islands from where it originated, untold generations ago. Magical Holiday Emergency Kit With all the travel, gift buying, last minute cramming at work, and family issues, is it any wonder that some of us find the holidays more stressful than fun? If you get a little crazy during the holidays, take heart. Here's a quick little magical emergency kit that you can use anytime things start to wrong this season. Valentines Day! The Sweet and Romantic Holiday When I think of Valentines Day I think of Chocolates and Flowers. Others might think of a more romantic subject too. Cornucopia Centerpiece for Thanksgiving Day As we enter into the month of November my thoughts turn towards Thanksgiving and everything that this wonderful holiday has to offer.It is a time for spending time with family and friends and for counting the many blessings the past year has brought to us. Are You Truly Thankful For Everything? Thanksgiving is the time of year when we stop and are thankful for all our blessings. Of course, we should be thankful every day of the year. Ten Tips for a Real Holiday Season Holidays and the start of a new year inevitably make us think about how we can improve ourselves, and have the life we want in the future. We make resolutions - I must lose weight, I will save more money - and then lose our way. Christmas Shopping Online Might Or Might Not Be For Everyone: This Article Shows How Doing It Onlin Christmas shopping online is not for you? If you are one of those that share this thought, you probably like to enjoy the atmosphere of physical shopping. Doing your Christmas shopping online despite all its convenience, lack the festive mood. 9 Fantastic Formulas for a Stress Free Holiday! The holidays are officially here. And so the season for giving begins. The Magic Of Gift Giving At Christmas Regardless of age, almost everyone can remember at least a few magic moments of their past at Christmas time. Even in our fifties and sixties, we can still very precisely recall how our parents celebrated Christmas. Tools and Tips for Keeping the Holidays Organized It's November 1st. You've walked into your favorite store to buy half-priced Halloween candy and what do you see? Christmas decorations! "Oh, no!" you think to yourself. 10 Ways to Celebrate Memorial Day Memorial Day is a day for remembering those who have laid their lives in the nation's service. Memorial Day has also become a popular time for Family Reunions and Get Togethers as it is preceded by a weekend. Bathed in Blue - Love Can Happen for You Whether you know him by Eros or Cupid, this son of the Goddess Venus aka Aphrodite, has long been associated with Valentines Day. Cupid the cheeky cherub loves to play and delights in aiming his pointed arrows at unsuspecting victims. Real vs. Artificial Christmas Trees Putting up and decorating your Christmas tree is a holiday tradition which has been in effect for hundreds of years and will probably be in effect until the end of time. Choosing whether you want a real Christmas tree or an artificial Christmas tree is a dilemma which many of us face every year. 10 Tips to a Stress Free Holiday "The stress-free way to enjoy the holidays is to plan, take one step at a time, and have a sense of humor." Beth TabakCan you feel the holiday jitters beginning? Suddenly there it is right around the corner.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
