I guess it’s about time to toss in the first entry for the “Holiday Season”, as everyone seems to be calling it now. In this little online journal entry, I’d like to address a few items that seem to irritate me about this time of year.

First off, the Holidays are supposed to convey a sense of brotherly love…tolerance…good will…cheer…kindness…courtesy…and a return to the values of home and family. Each year, it seems to become more and more about anger…intolerance…poor manners…rudeness…and an opportunity to ruin the whole experience for the person next to you. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m sure there are those who try very hard to ignore the general majority who seem to wander along with the social infrastructure on a daily basis, not unlike lemmings to a moral cliff. If you have any doubts to my words… just try to have a pleasant experience at the local mall on the day after Thanksgiving. You’ll be lucky to walk away without a bloody nose.

Bless these kind souls who try their best to maintain the cheer of Christmas in the midst of this animosity-filled religious multi-culturalism our country is drowning in. In a time of “tolerance” and “freedom of religious belief”, Where certain groups are exempt from penalty for all manner of religious holidays and observances. It seems to be blatantly absurd (and frightening, I might add) to witness the growing governmental oppression of Christianity, and the icons of it’s celebration…namely Jesus.

What has this country come to, and where are we headed? Here are some of my fundamental beliefs:

1) I believe all Americans should have the right to worship whatever deity they see fit to worship.
2) I believe that the freedom to attend organized worship services of these deities should be allowed without governmental influence.
3) I believe that the freedom to discuss one’s beliefs and the right to observe religious-holidays without penalty should be a basic right we all have.

I also believe that the people who file lawsuits over a baby Jesus in a nativity scene on a courthouse lawn ought to be laughed out of the courtroom! It’s true that this country was founded on religious freedom and freedom of expression. But that also applies to the religious beliefs of the founding fathers, themselves! Most, if not all, were Christian. Some were even ordained ministers! Yet our government, who operates in buildings adorned with Christian mottoes, figures, likenesses and references, upholds these absurd lawsuits by religious fanatics and atheists against Christian practices! Why? Don’t Christians have the same rights afforded to other denominations? I’m beginning to fear that the answer is “no”.

Get this… I work two jobs. At my main job, we freely and openly hold a “Christmas Dinner”. This, in no way, implies that we are forcing or mandating the religious observance of Christmas on any non-Christian or non-denominational employees. It merely means that we are holding a dinner in appreciation of our employees, in the spirit of the Christmas Season (which is a season of good will and kindness). It’s taken well, and there are no objections to it. And there shouldn’t be!

It is a dinner created in good will for the benefit of our employees. If there is nothing negative to it for anyone attending, I fail to see where any objection could be raised. If you’re not a Christian…so what? Enjoy the free food! Believe what you want! Enjoy the fact that others are happy and want YOU to be happy. Just because you believe something else doesn’t mean you have the right to oppress and demean the joy of others who do! Be tolerant!

At my second, part-time, job… we aren’t even permitted to advertise “Christmas Items” due to the fear of negative publicity surrounding the corporate name. Why would there be negative images drawn about the company, you ask? It’s because some idiot filed a lawsuit against the company in the past over a “religious reference” of Christmas. Now, the whole Christmas Season is muted and has become “politically correct” at that place of business. At least they haven’t taken away the Christmas Carols being played over the satellite radio.

Well… in the immortal words of Charlie Brown, “Well, I’m not going to let all of this commercialization ruin MY Christmas.” And that’s exactly what I intend to do. The government may regulate how Christmas is advertised or how it’s publicly observed, but the government can’t regulate how I celebrate it in my heart. As long as I have the joy of the Christmas Season in my heart and share it with my family…it’ll remain as it always has.

If I don’t get the opportunity to share another post with you before Christmas gets here… I’d like to take the opportunity to wish each and every one of my readers a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. Oh…and Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza and Happy (Insert the holiday of your choosing).

JESUS is the reason for the season...