So this is Christmas

As you get older it seems that Christmas becomes less important than it was in years past. If you have attained any kind of financial security you find that waiting for Christmas or your birthday is no longer necessary and it's easier to just go and buy the stuff you want.
The religious aspect of Christmas has long since vanished from most western cultures. It is now a time of greed and avarice. I don't even see any attempt to be civil to each other.

The religious aspect has never been important to me as the date of December 25th is an arbitrary date that is linked more to the Germanic tribes than to any Christian traditions. Most folks know that it was much easier for the Church to co-opt local winter customs than try to invent their own. Much the same way the Romans did with the Greeks.

So is it worth the effort to “celebrate” Christmas? I found that this year it was. I had my family over for dinner and it was nice to have them all together. It was fun to watch the abject greed of the grandkids as they tore into their loot. Evonne gets a great deal of joy from buying just that right gift for that one person. And for one brief shinning moment the world does not seem like such a bad place.

We get the paper the next day and see that nothing has changed, but at least , on one day we can hope that it has. And one day is a lot better than no days.