"How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, His precepts!"
-Benjamin Franklin
"Christmas can be celebrated in the school room with pine trees, tinsel, and reindeers, but there must be no mention of the man whose birthday is being celebrated. One wonders how a teacher would answer if a student asked why it was called Christmas."
-Ronald Reagan
These quotes discuss a problem that I see continually at Christmas. I watch people get caught up in the Christmas season who have no idea what they are actually celebrating. It makes me wonder why Christian holidays are any different from those of other religions. In other religions, you only celebrate the holiday if you practice the religion. But when Christmas and Easter roll around, everyone gets involved, usually not even realizing what they are celebrating. It's sad to see the Christmas season defaced by store managers who want to get rich, children who only care about the presents, and stressed adults trying to find the perfect presents and losing sight of the whole point.
The second quote talks about school in particular: this is something that really resonates with me now, having started public school for the first time in September. (Before that, I was in a Christian school.) I still haven't quite gotten used to the fact that I am in a minority in my school with the beliefs that I hold (although people are usually very accepting toward other's beliefs). I love the last sentence in the quote. Think about it; how would a teacher respond? The Christian connotations are worked into the very name of the holiday. You can't get rid of it without changing the essence of the holiday itself.
All this to say, don't forget that Christmas is when we celebrate Christ's birth (not when we get more stuff, stress about getting others more stuff, or make money over other people getting stuff to give their family and friends). Take a minute, step back with me, and take a deep breath. Don't let the stress overpower you!
What do you think? Do you like these quotes? Do you see this as a problem too? Do you have favorite quotes you would like to see featured?
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