Up On the Housetop.

Santa Claus is coming to town alright. His jolly face can be seen on top of rooftops and in advertisements in the mall listing dates of his appearances. Even before the turkey has left the table the thought of Christmas has already flooded the minds of all parents and gift givers everywhere. 

I hate to break the news that Santa was run out of work by the growing desire of parents to get things for their kids. For some reason they think that they would know their kids and what they want better than Santa and his elves would. There is no arguing that Christmas season is growing larger and larger every year. People do not wait until Black Friday to do all their shopping. But when Black Friday comes around, people can be scary. There is a website that tracks the number of deaths and injuries in the United States just for that day. People are crazy about the sales. They shop until they drop with their bags full of, things. Things? Is that really what all the fuss is about? Stuff? The Christmas industry is booming because individuals are obsessed with materialistic things. Not that that is a bad thing, it stimulates the economy. And it will continue until we stop innovating, because there will always be something new that people want. As long as our generations keep getting smarter and smarter there will continue to be new generations of smarter and smarter versions of Iphones.

But think about this question, why do we ask for things that will only satisfy us until the next new thing comes around? Rather than asking our parents for yet another expensive thing that will only last so long, why should we not ask for things that mean more from our family and work for the things we want in life. Hand written letters filled with stories of our parents childhoods, your grandma's recipes, a list of things that your friends love about you. When we count our blessings, we do not count how many electronics we have, how many flat screens or how great our car is, we count the things that matter most to us. So why do we not change what Christmas means in today's society? Oh yea, that darn economy. 

JSL