Celebrating the Joys of Christmas

A Patriot's Opinion

By Jim Snyder

Well, here we are again, coming up on that special time of year when we gather with family and friends to celebrate the Christmas holiday. For many, this is a time when we get to see relatives and friends that we may only get to see once a year. It is also a time to enjoy all of the beautiful Christmas lights that many home and business owners invest lots of time and effort to put up. Many of our radio stations play Christmas carols and Christmas songs that get us in the Christmas spirit (yes, even the annoying ones). It’s just a magical time of the year for young and old alike. Decorating the tree, wrapping presents, and of course enjoying the many traditional Christmas dishes and desserts that we love (especially the desserts).

And even though all of the above mentioned joys are a big part of Christmas, we must never forget the real reason why we celebrate this holiday. Celebrating the birth of Jesus is the real reason for the season. For many years, Christmas has become so commercialized that it is easy some times to forget why we really celebrate it. To me that’s where Christmas carols like “O Holy Night,” and “The Little Drummer Boy” remind me why we are celebrating.

As a child, we didn’t have a lot when it came to monetary things or belongings. But the one thing we did have was that wonderful Christmas spirit. I can remember sewing popcorn strings together to hang on our Christmas tree that we got to cut down with our little wood saw. My brother and I would make decorations from colored construction paper and place them on the tree. We hung Christmas lights outside and couldn’t wait to plug them in. While most of our presents were usually clothes, it was still exciting to come out on Christmas morning and tear into those packages. There is something so beautiful about an entire living room floor covered with wrapping paper, ribbon, and tissue paper. Of course our mother would try and recycle as much of our mess as possible in order to use it again the next year. Yep, believe it or not we even had recycling back in the 50’s and 60’s. But here I am 55+ years later and I still get excited about Christmas.

B u t while many of us are gearing up for the food, the fun, and the presents, there are many people out there who may not be having a joyous holiday season. There are many of our neighbors and friends who have lost loved ones in the past year and the holidays are a tough time of the year. I have been there myself and know how hard it can be. So please remember those who are struggling and do whatever you can to make their Christmas season a little brighter. And finally, I leave you with this thought: You may have noticed I used the word Christmas many times. I even used the word Jesus.

I did not use the phrase “Holiday season” or “Holiday tree.” I used the real thing. It’s Christmas and that’s what it should be called. Don’t be intimidated by anyone who tries to steal your joy. I am sick and tired of being told I must go out of my way to keep from offending someone who doesn’t believe. So when you are out and about this season go with the gusto and tell everyone you meet “Merry Christmas.