Merry Christmas and the Gospel According to Linus!

 


Tonight is Christmas Eve.

It is the official end of the Christmas Shopping Season, which began after the Fourth of July.

During that period, advertisers, merchandisers and public relations people have been Hell bent on convincing consumers to spend themselves into debt, buying presents for others to prove their love.

To buy their love, as it were.

Traditional Christmas Carols have been perverted to reflect this commercialism.

"Angels we have heard on high, telling us 'Go out and buy!'"

And "God rest ye, merry merchants, may you make the yuletide pay!"

This has been going on for decades, and not just in the United States.

Mind you, there's nothing wrong with buying gifts for a few selected friends and family members.

That, at least, is in the tradition of Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus and the Three Wise Guys...or Men...or the Magi.



But the expectation that casual acquaintances and relative strangers must be bought for comes under the category of "Just Too Much," although we are assured by our incompetent government that such spending is good for the economy, never mind the long-term effects on our savings and credit.

Or our own personal financial security.

And the gift giver then gets the pleasure of hearing that their gift wasn't appreciated and would have preferred a gift card if not cash.

"You're welcome!"

In "A Charlie Brown Christmas," snotty "Peanuts" character Lucy Van Pelt states that Christmas is a racket, run by a big Eastern syndicate.



She wasn't far from the truth.

Still, there IS more to Christmas than just greed, as Lucy's younger brother Linus pointed out.

Linus Van Pelt is sometimes viewed as an object of mockery because he still carries his security blanket everywhere, sort of like Prince Harry clinging onto his wife.

Unlike Prince Harry, Linus is a lot smarter than appearances might belie.

When Charlie Brown desperately asks if there is anyone who can tell him what Christmas is all about, Linus tells him, and everyone else, the meaning of Christmas.

And here I will quote Linus's monologue verbatim.

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them "Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest and on Earth peace, goodwill toward men."

And that IS what Christmas is all about.

Get it? Got it? Good!

To all my family and friends, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!



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