The reason for the season

Up here in New England we will enjoy a white Christmas. This is in spite of the fact that there was a two week conference on Global Warming in Copenhagen. I find it very humorous that during this conference, the city got near record cold temperatures and near record snow fall and that very same city will have a white Christmas for the first time in decades.

I also find it funny that when temperatures plummet all over the planet, Global Warming popes and priest tell us that if it gets cold, its because of the same global warming that caused temps to rise back in the 90's.

But I digress. This is the time of year that is not about global warming, global cooling, man-made global climate change or whatever else the anti mankind religious zealots want to call the natural flow of the planets climate change.

This is the time of year we celebrate the greatest humanitarian, economist, environmentalist and human lover the world has ever seen. It is a time we stop to celebrate a birth that changed man. Indeed, this was a birth that actually split time in two.

But instead of remembering and celebrating such a birth, we run around trying to find and buy the latest fad, electronic, card or anything else our limited financial budgets can handle in order to give it to someone we say we love and care about. We also know that those gifts will most likely be broken, thrown away or exchanged within the first 2 months of the new year, lost and forgotten in time and in memory.

Yes it is cool to see a tree, be it real or artificial, propped up with loads of wrapped gifts. Sure it is great fun to run around town in your car, van or even SUV to look at the dazzling if not dizzying display of electric candles adorning house after house.

It is great fun to run about with an extra spring in our step because it is expected that everyone be more jolly and friendly at this time of year and to eat more than we should especially more of the things we should not eat at all.

But then comes the new year and we feel a sense of loss. We crash and feel depressed often blaming it on the weather noticing how dead and dreary the landscape looks. We exit our over heated buildings into the cold cursing and condeming the fact that global warming has not made our small corner of the world a tropical paradise.

The euphoria that we felt before December 25 is replaced by shock and dismay come January 25 as the credit card bills arrive in the mail. We often say with a hint of denial in our voices, "I didn't spend that much."

The shock and realization of our spending transgressions is very apparent and we lament the fact that we have less than a year to do it all over again.

But some of us do carry that joy that is this holiday season in our hearts all year long. Although we are few in number, we can and due have a huge impact on those around us. How is this possible in a world of fast, faster and fastest?

We slow down enough to know that this time of year is not about the tree, the lights, the spectacle, the snow, the gifts under the tree or anything else that tradition has now taught us.

We slow down and know that the greatest gift of all was not born on this day, but is celebrated non the less on this day.

The greatest gift every single human this planet has ever hosted or ever will support in life was a tiny baby born over 2000 years ago.

The reason for the season is a birthday. The birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Son of Man and more importantly, the Son of God.

Thank you God for this awesome gift.

And, Happy birthday Jesus.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.