gma's jessica soho sent sophia balod to interview me about christmas.
personally, i think that christ is not the "reason for the season" but merely an excuse we use for celebrating one of the most materialistic, commercialized, hedonistic, bacchanalian, and therefore the most unchristian of holidays which we call "christmas."
to lessen the guilt we have for secularizing an originally spiritual event, we insert christ into the picture simply by attending a one-hour mass (or its equivalent service) on christmas day. while one hour of the christmas season gets dedicated to jesus, the rest of the season is focused on buying gifts, decorating our homes and offices, preparing food for the noche buena, and practicing the oppa gangnam dance number (or other numbers) for the christmas parties.
how did we ever get to focus on the three magis who gave jesus the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, while totally ignoring joseph and mary who, through their actions, were really teaching us lessons on how to trust in God, how to persevere despite hardship, and how to be responsible in parenthood. of course, that newborn child- jesus, was also teaching us the meaning of humility, as he gave up divine status to be borne in human form under austere conditions.
by the manner in which we celebrate the holiday season, we should more aptly rename "christmas" as "santamas."
i think that we should take time off from the raucous "celebration" of christmas to reflect deeply on the birth story of christ and and nurture the spiritual values which christ and his earthly parents displayed during the difficult circumstances of his birth.
Christ was placed in a manger (animal trough)
as his makeshift crib.
have a spiritual
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