Drawing the Line at Christmas

“Christmas costs less at WalMart.” This slogan obviously deserves the antichrist award for 2009. It is not a mistranslation to read, “At WalMart Christmas is worth less;” how true, how true. This campaign epitomizes the commercialization of Christ’s birth, and it’s the straw that broke this camel’s back. How dare they? It’s a black and white admission that Christmas, at least in America, is all about the almighty buck. It has little or nothing to do anymore with the advent of the reign of the Prince of Peace. There is no little discussion right now about how Christmas can make or break our economy. From Black Friday to Cyber Monday, there isn’t even a pretense anymore about the reason for the season. It’s to make money. It’s to show profits. And if it capitalizes on a supposed holy day, so be it. I’m not going to play their game this year. Oh, I’ll still be giving gifts because I’ve experienced the genuine joy of giving, but I’ll not be participating in anything that smacks of capitalism run amok. And as far as New Year’s resolve is concerned, let this serve as fair warning to Wall Street, the Religious Right, and every other idiot that has coopted Christianity in the name of selfish greed that I’m not going to stand for it any more. My mission is to call out the hypocrites and heathens wherever they lurk, whether they be in the “Church”, the Congress, or the local WalMart. In a world filled with darkness, now is the time for the light of hope to shine in such a way that it chases the cockroaches back into oblivion.