'Tis the season for made-up traditions

Did I not get the memo, or do activities performed years ago seem to turn into monstrous, money-sucking guilt trips during this time of the year?

I was listening a bit to Steve Deace on WHO the other day, and he had a guest on who talked about the common traditions of Christmas. The guest explained the background of "The 12 Days of Christmas", North Pole, Santa Claus, etc. Basically they are a conglomeration of various Western Europe practices and traditions, both pagan and Christian, with a good smattering of commercialism and political undertones.

In other words, most of what we think of as Christmas Spirit is pure BS.

And, if you don't practice the tradition perfectly, you are considered to be diluting a NATIONAL tradition, and you are not in the Christmas spirit.

Come on, folks; do we really need to believe that Santa Claus comes from the North Pole to deliver toys on Christmas Eve? I guess its fun to entertain children with the thought, but they have active enough imaginations of their own. Maybe they should come up with their own; its just as good as any other idea.

Now, it appears I am applying a bit of post-modernism philosophy to the Christmas season; no one way is right, they are all interpretations of what we see and feel. Normally I don't subscribe to this belief system, being a Theist and all, but for made up-stories and traditions about a Christian holiday, I'm game. Maybe those turtleneck wearing, thin black cigarette smoking French philosophers were on to something.

Christmas trees don't excite me. Carollers are annoying. Shopping for basic things during this month is horrendous due to the crowds.

Call me a Scrooge, but you are simply using an example of a made up story to illustrate my point.

As a Christian, Jesus' birth is important, but His death and resurection from the Cross is much greater in my book. Easter represents the reason He came to Earth, and the reason I am saved. Jesus being born in a virgin birth is important, as it does tie in with Scriptures in the Old Testament. But, Jesus did other things that were fortold in the OT, and we don't have special holidays for them, either.

Oh well, this too shall pass, and we'll return to cold, icy and muddy Iowa, waiting for spring to return.