Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at 12:15 AM
The above is one of my favorite carols; it was written either in 10th or 11th century France. There are so many beautiful carols and Christmas songs that came out of Christianity; it amazes me—the creativity and the devotion that this man from Galilee has spawned over the last two millenniums! The billions of dollars spent every year all over the world! It used to be about celebrating his birth, but nowadays that is the farthest thing from most people’s minds, and from all the new Christmas songs that don’t even mention the nativity anymore!
People go deep into debt at this time of the year, trying to out-gift each other and trying to show love and affection through gift-giving. Wat a ting!
Jesus was born in a manger, supposedly. A birth could not have taken place in a more humble setting. I’m almost sure that Joseph and Mary didn’t have 20 bucks between them. Maybe the inns weren’t full; maybe they were just broke. Whatever the case might have been, or not, the idea of Christmas has long lost its meaning! How many of us opening our presents think of frankincense and myrrh; and what the hell is frankincense and myrrh anyway? No, we’re just hoping to get that phone or that watch or that bicycle we have been thinking about since September.
I believe that if Jesus came back and told everyone to stop wasting their money on gifts and start feeding the poor, the less fortunate among us, he would be locked up. They would proclaim it all fake news and just keep on Christmassing! We are so lost in the materialism of this special holiday that we have vastly diminished the significance of the occasion! It’s all about Hallmark Christmas movies, about finding love in Europe or in Hattieville or Lemonal with a prince disguised as a pauper.
Don’t get me wrong, there are still noble and humble souls out there who try to celebrate the true spirit of Christmas. They feed and clothe the poor; they go around doing good deeds in their communities. But they are such a minority, and overwhelmed by the greed and decadence of the majority!
But then again, what do I know? I was wrong about Trump losing the election, so maybe I am also wrong about the true spirit of Christmas. Maybe everyone else is right, and greed is good! Que se yo?
Merry Christmas!