49 Days until Christmas!

Christmas 2006

I don't mean to be a scrooge but, is it really necessary to skip right over Thanksgiving straight into the Christmas season? I love Thanksgiving...family, great food, fun parade and most importantly a time to reflect on how much we all have to be greatful for. A week before Halloween I had to move past the Christmas display to get to the costumes...does anyone else find that WRONG???? Now, if we were skipping over Thanksgiving to "celebrate" the meaning of Christmas that would be one thing but, it's not...it's about the gifts. It's about the fact that our entire economy is based on the holiday shopping season (huh?). I love buying gifts for people but, I am the ultimate procrastinator so, starting the shopping season early will do nothing for me...twenty days, 49 days really doesn't matter much to someone who considers it a success to be done two days before Christmas eve. And my response to all those Christmas eve shoppers they show on CNN...you rock!

In honor of the early shopping season I am including a passage from "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Linus say's it all...

"And there were in the same country shepherds, abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them! And they were sore afraid ... And the angel said unto them, "Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings o great joy, which shall be to all my people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ, the Lord."
"And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, and good will toward men."
"That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown." - Linus Van Pelt

Happy Shopping!