A few thoughts on the holidays

A lot of this has been buzzing around my head today, so I thought I'd write some of it down.

I've been listening to some really great Christmas music in the last couple of weeks. I broke it out early, because I needed a lift while we were going through some tough times and I was having some issues with my meds. The first night I began listening, I cried so much. It was an evening of healing and the peace that had been eluding me. I was reminded of all the reasons I love Christmas - concepts like peace on earth and Christian love for others and selflessness. And that's where my mind has been a lot of the time since then.

However, I've noticed in the last week as Christmas draws nearer and everyone else has begun to turn their thoughts toward the holidays, that not everyone's mindset seems to be on those things.

And I get it. Really. We in the United States have been in a state of war for a few years now, and it seems that it's normal in our culture to find war where ever we look. War on values. Class wars. War on democracy. War on drugs. War, war, war. Turn on the news, and someone's declared war or seeing war or fighting a war.

But what I want to talk about is the war I've been hearing about all my life as a Christian - the war on Christmas. Now, I believe as a Christian that we should be part of our community and embrace our culture, but only to a point. I also believe we're supposed to stand out as different. And I don't mean different as in judgemental and snooty and spouting off about how everyone but us is wrong. I mean our walk is supposed to match our talk. I mean we're supposed to be an example, not a bludgeoning tool.

Maybe, instead of seeing war all around us, we should focus on some peaceful thoughts. Maybe, instead of seeing it as an afront when someone wishes us happy holidays, we should assume they're just trying not to offend anyone while recognizing that Christmas is not the only holiday being celebrated this month.

Maybe, instead of seeing a war on Christ when someone writes Xmas, we should see someone trying to abbreviate a long word. Maybe, do a little bit of digging and find out that this is not even a new way to write the word Christmas, and that there was a time not so long ago in history when it was considered disrespectful to write Christ, and Xmas was used as an alternative. Maybe, consider that X or Xp were used from the Greek for the word Christ. And lastly, maybe in the age of texting and IMs, Xmas is just faster to type out.

Maybe, instead of looking for war, we should be trying to spread a little of that peace on earth and goodwill toward men. I've always thought of Christmas as the time when people can be a little nicer to each other, a little more open to people who are different than them, and the best time to be a little tolerant and generous of spirit.

Food for thought anyway.