Well this morning I saw a post over on facebook dealing with A Christmas Carol. Anyone who knows me knows that I adore this story. I have read it, hunted down various versions and try to watch all the different movies that have been put out.
Yes Charles Dickens wrote this tale a very long time ago and yes Britain that time was pretty much a harsh place to live in. The tale as we know is all about teaching a miserly person to see the where his life went wrong and where he will end up if he doesn't change.
Now yes I will say that this has a lot of so called Christian ethos in it but I am sorry but Dickens wasn't writing this to promote Christianity...he was making a harsh statement against greed and the self serving attitude that was prevalent then as it is now.
Scrooge is taken through his life from start to finish and we see what turned him into the man he is. The focus on being sucessful and not seeing what you have before you is not new. Thanks in part to my generation this story is even more appropraite. Everyone is so focused on owning the newest gadgets or us against them instead of seeing what is before them.
There are so many who need help in the world but the scrooges outweigh those who would try and help. Yes we have had so many tragedies this past year but we need to look around us. How many of you have tossed a coin in the red bucket this year? Or baked something for a bake sale for charity? Made a mitten or a hat for those in need? I bet not as many as we need.
Every year I make baked goods for people, knit or crochet up hats and mittens for the school comfort drive and drop what change I can into those buckets. I don't do this because I am a Christian, because I am not. I am a Wiccan and my hubby is a Buddhist. There are so many simple ways to see those around you who need help.
This season has been celebrated for thousands of years by every religion on the planet. Many of the things that are thought of as Christian Christmas are from much older cultures and religions.
Okay I admit I am rambling here but all the keep christ in christmas and bring back this or that people need to take a long look at their religion. Those things they hold so close to their heart came from outside their religion. Christmas trees, presents, festivals of light, food, songs, all of it started outside of Christianity. Even the date chosen is not the true date of Christ's birth.
I agree we need to take the consumerism out of the holiday but please remember that it is not a christian holiday. It is a world wide holiday. A reason to celebrate family, life and love. But mostly life...for with the longest night of the year just days before the 25th we are celebrating that the year is turning. So instead of complaining about religion go out, help someone and be a good person. No matter if you are muslim, jewish or christian. You all have a reason to celebrate this festival and should go out and help someone, somehow.
Shovel your neighbor's driveway or sidewalk, donate to the soup kitchen, buy a present for toys for tots and give a homeless person a mcDonald's gift certificate booklet so they can eat. Just remember that we are all human and we all need to care for our fellows
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