As we draw closer to Christmas day, the trips to the mall and the bank machine seem to become more frequent. Wouldn鈥檛 it be nice if in all that light and noise there was somewhere quiet to sit? Here is an observation from one of those frantic afternoons.
I was standing beside Santa鈥檚 castle when a lady came by with a four-year-old boy. She was in a hurry. The little boy looked at the giant candy canes, the huge chair and of course, he could hear that well-known laugh.
鈥淐an I see Santa, Mom?鈥� he cried out. 鈥淣o son,鈥� she replied, 鈥渢he lineup is too long and that鈥檚 not what Christmas is about anyway.鈥�
They disappeared in the crowd, but her answer to him lingered there in the mall.
As I looked around I thought, 鈥淲hat could the little boy possibly have seen that would tell him what Christmas was supposed to be about?鈥�
All I could see was Santa in the big chair and many other huge signs declaring, 鈥淴mas sale.鈥� It seems more and more retailers, educators and politicians are trying not offend a minority of customers, parents and voters. Instead, they offend everyone else, but so few of us stand up and say anything.
I was puzzled and then I thought, maybe someone can answer my question:
If Christmas is for Jesus
Why don鈥檛 we see him here?
Why can鈥檛 we climb up on his knee,
So we can whisper in his ear,
The questions that we have for him
About what he wants from you and me,
If we鈥檙e to celebrate his birthday,
Why is Santa all I see?
If Christmas is for Jesus
Why is it all so loud and bright;
When all he had was just one star
To light a silent night;
When no one rushed or hurried
Or worried just how much to spend,
When I鈥檓 sure the only gift he鈥檇 give
Is love for family and friend.
If we send Xmas cards, not Christmas cards,
Put up an Xmas light display;
Then all we鈥檝e done is used a cross once more
To hide his name away;
If Christmas is for Jesus,
Then we鈥檒l never grow too old;
We can still believe forever
In the Greatest Story ever told;
If we want them to believe us
It starts with you and me,
Then we can have a Christmas picture
Of our child on Jesus鈥� knee.
It鈥檚 not Xmas or the holiday season, in Canada it鈥檚 Christmas. At least that鈥檚 what McGregor says.
