Don't forget real reason for the season

By Pat Eudy

I read an article in the newspaper the other day that saddened me! The article was about a mom who was writing her children a note signed by Santa and it said, “Your mother is going to take you to the store when she can.”

She just canceled Christmas!

In this economy I can understand the money situation, but cancelling Christmas? Then the article went on to say, “Shop after Christmas and save 75 percent on your purchases!”

What?

Wait a minute. How absurd is this? Gifts are not what this is all about. Christ is the reason for the season. The mother should have stressed the importance of the birth of Christ and what this day means to most of us.

If you have no money for gifts, there are resources to get them for your children. Local churches, organizations and charitable organizations are more than happy to share. I am not saying gifts are not important, especially to the children, but some things should come first. Most of us have become a population of materialistic beings and we are passing this on to our children.

A lot of retailers have actually taken the true meaning of Christmas away from all of us. For them, Christmas starts in October and ends in January. In this season of warmth and tradition, let us not forget Christ, the reason for the celebration.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:

“For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food,

For love and friends,

For everything thy goodness sends.”

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and Happy Kwanza to all.