During the day on Halloween, I ran a few errands. I had the day off because I felt like taking it off, and I took the opportunity to do some things around the house like shovel rocks, pull weeds, change my oil, and buy groceries. I know; exciting day off. One thing that has stuck on my mind since then occurred when I went out for lunch. I found Christmas decorations already up.
People tell me they’ve been up for sale for longer than that. I probably didn’t notice either because I don’t shop at the stores that sell them or simply because I don’t shop that much. I am male after all, and when left to ourselves, we often just buy what we need rather than things that count more as decoration. Cave men were not known for their homely touches.
Then there’s the Christmas Tree tax. Obama announced and rescinded it within a 24 hour period I think over outcries that it was another attempt to remove Christ from Christmas. Excuse me? Christ was put into Christmas by the pagans. The man who decided to celebrate Christ’s carnation was the pagan emperor Constantine himself who was a poly theist after the Roman persuasion until just before his death.
Imagine also my surprise to discover that various congregations of my Faith were holding Halloween activities as a means to reach out to the community. It is commonly known that Monday nights, whatever the holiday might be, are reserved as Family Nights. So, they pick the day least associated with Christ as a means to share His message with their friends and neighbors? Nice isn’t it when we can clothe ourselves with odd old ends stolen forth from holy writ to seem saints. He makes a convenient scapegoat even today to wash away our sin.
Still, it’s possible that Christ was at the halloween gala. Christ is wherever we invite Him to be. He taught us that where two or three are gathered in His name He would join them in their midst. I have felt him on mountain tops surrounded by nought but His creations, in my car after my near collision in April 2010, and in the hug of a small child to whom I spoke after he told me he liked my tie. Christ isn’t just in Christmas; He might be there, but as Christians we gather together supposedly every Sunday to speak of Christ, to rejoice in Christ, and teach our children about Christ so they might know to what source they might look for remission of their sins. That’s His gift- He is the difference in our lives.
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