Sure, a lot of people attend church on Christmas -- but not
as many as there used to be. I've heard stories about how full
the church used to be 50 years ago. People would come from all
over. Carols would be sung far into the night. The sermon would
be taken to heart.
Later, everyone would hurry home to a cooked dinner and a
full stocking. Inside the stocking there would be an apple, orange,
some loose candy, maybe a china doll or a bouncing ball. Then
there would be a gift from mom and dad -- probably a new dress
or set of trousers. A far cry from what we receive today.
Today's Christmas begins a month before hand. As soon as the
first snow falls, out comes the Santa hats and strings of lights.
Carollers are on every corner and everyone heads to the malls
to spend the money. Most children get a stocking full of knick-knacks
- hair clips, toy cars, coloured lead pencils and video games.
Then, there is a set of gifts piled high under the tree. Each
child receives so many presents that they don't know what to
do with them.
So this leaves me with a final question. Since the holiday
season has changed so much in the past 50 years, what will future
generations do to top our Christmas? Will school close for the
month? Will shopping become the main sport of the season?
The only problem I can find in this is - what about the reason
for the season: Christ? Will that aspect of Christmas be lost
forever? |