Since I work in a church, I get to hear arguments others might not see as being so serious. The latest thing to crop up is Christians getting upset about companies not using the word “Christmas” when talking about wishes or trees - replacing it instead with “Happy Holidays” or “Christmas Trees” ( USA Today Article: "Some Retailers Give The Word Christmas A Nod" & "Pro-Family Pressure Prompts Retailers to Reconsider PC 'Holiday' Policies" give two different takes on this topic). On the surface of this argument, I want to just throw my hands up and say, “What does it matter if others don’t use the word Christmas?” When I think about it a little deeper, I wonder why we celebrate December 25 as a nation if we don’t use the word Christmas, since Christ’s birth was the original reason to celebrate on this day, whether or not it was the actual b-day of Jesus. Could it possibly be that Christmas is about “stuff” and we are getting 
up in arms over corporations using the word “Christmas” because we have to be careful about whose “stuff” we buy, rather than focusing on God entering our world by being a tiny helpless baby- giving Himself to us. I know that I’m putting some of my own thinking into the meaning of Christmas here, and that as a Christian I see the world through a different lens than others possibly. But none of us see the world without biases, so why not acknowledge your own and try to examine both it and how you view the world so that you can understand it better. I’m still thinking through this, so please enter your comments, I would appreciate them as work through this in my head. 
To help me think through this, I “googled” (my favorite thing to do) “Hanukkah,” “Christmas,” and “Kwanzaa” – the three major celebrations occurring around December 25. I came across The History Channel’s “The History of the Holidays”. It’s very interesting about the formation of Christmas (not the story we hear always) and Hanukkah (not a Jewish Christmas- but a celebration of God helping free Israel from Greek rule & God miraculously keeping a menorah lit). I’d heard some of the information there, but not all put together about Hanukkah and Christmas, but honestly knew nothing about Kwanzaa. It's interesting that all three use candles and light as a main symbol of their celebration (though not stated on this website, many Christians light an Advent candle to celebrate Christmas in their church and home).Finding Christian meaning in Christmas and upholding the Family during Christmas does not necessarily mean using the word “Christmas,” but rather a way of living- like the Christ of Christmas. Maybe I can figure that out a little better this Holiday Season.
Truck Update: Yesterday, I couldn't put my truck into any gear. My heart stopped as I thought about my wallet emptying quickly. But, thanks to a good friend, I was able to find the problem (empty fluid reservoir for the clutch next to the brake reservoirs) and fix it (fill it back up with Dot 3 Brake Fluid) cheaply. Now I have to wait and see if the problem is a leak or that I didn't realize there was a fluid reservoir and have never checked it in the 8 years I've owned it.
Thursday Dec. 8 Upcoming Topic: Commercials (Part Two- The Romantic Look)
Friday Dec. 9 Upcoming Topic: Commercials (Part Three- Lighter Look)
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