How can the Christian faith

reclaim Christmas? I think it's obvious that Christmas bears barely

a semblance of its original self. Commercial interests have taken Christmas

and mined it for its every monetary value. It's the number one shopping

season. Many merchandisers absolutely depend upon Christmas to make their

budget for the year. They make it at Christmas or go bust.

Funny isn't it? A day

devoted to remembering the birth of the Messiah has evolved - just

in the last one hundred years - into a whole season of commercial

enterprise. Before the frost is on the pumpkin in North America, Christmas

displays are already out. And the whole aim of it all is to get you to

buy, buy, buy. Buy a merry Christmas. Buy a white Christmas by taking

your family to the snow covered mountains. With the right amount of money,

you can buy any kind of Christmas you wish.

This "buying" theme

of Christmas has created a sense of "oh no, not another Christmas"

as we begin asking ourselves, "What am I going to buy the wife, the

kids, the whomever?" Christmas becomes a chore as we labor over gift

lists, deciding what we can afford to give the varying levels of important

people in our lives. You wouldn't dream of giving that leftover fruitcake

from last year to your parents for Christmas, but it seems to be the perfect

gift for the postal carrier. We groan over buying something for people

who have everything. You get the idea.

Now, let's get