Christmas Bonus Blog: What's Christmas To Me

WHAT'S CHRISTMAS TO ME

You read the title rightly. It does not say "What Does Christmas

Mean To Me" or something else like that. I have been thinking

about this topic, for say, many days ... even back when ABC

first announced their "25 Days of Christmas".

You see, I've always loved Christmas, or at least some facet of it.

I have not always loved what people have done to it.

At one point in time, I even went one year (or was it 2?) without

(GASP!) ... a Christmas Tree. Nawww, not because I couldn't afford

one, or didn't have room for one, didn't want to 'promote' one!

Now, before you start to throw ornaments or snowy globes at me,

I'm just tellin' on meself a wee bit. Ya see, I read this book about

Babylon religion and stuff they used to do with trees, and how

they persecuted Christians & such, and I got real bothered.

I thought, 'most certainly God must really be upset with that

memory' and so I dispensed with the tree. I replaced it with

a Huge Wreath (what near insanity!) and had the presents all

dropped underneath that thing on the wall. Not too pretty.

But, hah, it served its purpose, right?

Again, I reiterate, that was a temporary lapse of reason ...

and I don't feel or believe that way anymore. Besides, that

was a looooooooooong time ago, at least in my book.

You know, amongst christians, there has always been talk

about when Jesus' real actual birthday was (probably September

around the Feast of Tabernacles ... get it?) and Christmas being this

"pagan holiday" and discussions like that. Then, there was a more

positive talk about good ol' Saint Nick ... who, in fact, was this Greek

rich priest dude who liked to throw bags of money through windows

of poor people! He was a true GIVER, and quite a guy! 

And, best thing yet, 

he was REAL and actually did LIVE. Although our present day

Coke-drinking-Santa doesn't quite fit the image, 

you can see where I'm

going with this. Christmas isn't so bad, after all, is it?

I started to think about the customs of gift=giving and customs that

families have at this time ... and how everybody seems to be a heck

of a lot sweeter and nice (well, except for the humbugs!), and there's

this 'magic' in the air, or so it seems. And really, does it have to all

go away after ONE DAY, or how about 12? I mean ABC does 25 for

goodness' sake! Anyway, there's a lot of charm, and special feelings

and beauty that comes with the Holiday. And, if you live in colder

climates, SNOW! I know I mentioned ABC twice already, but how

about all those Christmas shows & movies?? I mean, call me an

ol' soft-serve or sentimental, but I like them!

Check This Out!

"There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say, Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round - apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that - as a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!"

       ( Ebenezer Scrooge's nephew Fred from A Christmas Carol )

Yeah, I know somebody will probably read this blog and say, "But
Tony, you know this whole Winter Solstice/Christmas thingy is about

Janus and Horus and Ra and Sis Boom Bah gods of Yore (Lore?)

and we simply can't engage in such paganistic stuff blah blah blah".

Ahh, just save it, man. Don't write me about that junk, 

I won't read it.
I'm no more a pagan than I'm a Druid in love with Stonehenge.

There's another story ... other than the One who gave us Himself

as a GIFT to mankind. There's this other story about these 

3 Wise Guys

who came, following the King's Star; a Celestial Wonder of 

Jupiter & Regulus

conjoined on this Wonderful night ... one amazing star that moved; it probably took about 2 years for them to arrive, 

but arrive they finally did. 

And these

3 Kings of Orient Are 

gave some very, very expensive GIFTS to this
2 year old new KING, and also came to Worship Him. 

Now whether they

came on Christmas Eve, or that One Holy Night, 

*OR* on January 6, or two years later does

not matter to me ... They CAME, they GAVE, they Worshipped ...

and THAT'S good enough reason for me ...

To Do The Same.

PEACE ON EARTH

GOOD WILL TO MEN.

PERIOD.

Till next Time,

TONY