Will B.

I will be having a Charlie Brown Christmas. By this I mean I will be having a Christmas, as the saying goes: “Jesus is the reason behind the Season” It may sound a bit odd that I chose the Charlie Brown Christmas special as the title but if you have ever watched it then you know the thoughts behind the special are true to the meaning of Christmas for the most part.

At one point in the special, Linus quotes the bible, reciting the true meaning of Christmas after the rest of the Peanuts gang got the reason for the season all wrong. Luke 2:8-14 says: “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’” I am one of those on the side of wanting the commercialization of Christmas to be cut way back. I know it is important for the economy but for me it has gotten way out of hand. The true meaning of Christmas is about the day Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, was born. It’s a time of great rejoicing because without this, we would be lost. Through Christ is the only true way into heaven.

I used to be into the whole Black Friday frenzy and Cyber Monday mania. That was a time when I was truly lost in the meaning of Christmas and just wanted more more more. Although even then I hated the commercialization of Christmas to a certain degree. I worked at Home Depot for about six years or so and just hated that we set Christmas in the store after Halloween. I thought, ‘Can we not enjoy the holiday we are in? I mean, we still have Thanksgiving to go and we already have Christmas out.’ Oh well, that’s the game of retail.

Beyond Christ’s birth as the main focal point, some important things to celebrate the season are family and friends coming together for Christmas parties and family meals of ham, yams, mashed taters and pumpkin pie. There will be the fun office parties with gift exchange games which usually have a $20 limit or so.

These are all perfectly acceptable traditions that do not play into the commercialization of Christmas in my opinion (and you know I have many).

Some may even say I am very opinionated. Most of the younger generation do not know this but back in the day when I was a young whippersnapper, we had a law called the Blue Law.

This, in my opinion, needs to be brought back. Pretty much every business shut down except essential businesses such as gas stations. No malls were open and most everything was shut down. And you know what? Life went on with everything shut down.

The economy did not collapse over the law. What did happen was a lot more family- and-friend time. It truly was the Lord’s day, in my opinion.

This Christmas season ,try to take a moment out of your shopping, Starbucks coffee and trips to the mall to remember the real reason behind the season is Jesus Christ’s birth and spending time with friends and family, creating wonderful memories that will warm your heart for years to come.

I think your family will survive Christmas without the latest gadget or accessory.

This is Will B. saying, Let’s remember the true meaning of Christmas this season and at the same time save a little money in the process.