Last year at this time, I wrote a long post about the meaning of Christmas. Specifically, focusing on the idea of Santa Claus. We ended up with snow falling after the 6pm mass. This year, it was nothing but rain and a wet (but mild) Christmas Eve. It’s a good time to remember that while there might or might not be a real person named Santa Claus – all of us can bring that idea to life in the way we interact with others. Too many times this season, I’ve seen people being nasty or belligerent to others. Even something as simple as a Merry Christmas to those celebrating the Christian holiday. But people fighting for parking spaces, ignoring traffic signals, or just being generally grinch-y, it’s the time of year that this shouldn’t be the norm.
There’s a picture I posted last year showing Santa kneeling before the baby Jesus. It’s a powerful image, but a clear reminder of why we celebrate Christmas. It’s not Xmas, or The Holiday as some politically correct people would like it out to be. It’s a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Was Jesus born on Dec. 25? Probably not, considering the modern Gregorian Calendar hadn’t even been invented yet. But does that mean we should treat it as any other day? Absolutely not. It’s a time to reflect on the prior year, look forward to the future with anticipation, and enjoy the time with friends and family.
So this year, like last, I leave you with an image of the baby Jesus being visited not by kings or other important people, but by the spirit of Christmas that wraps so many kids (and hopefully) adults in a joyous time.
