Do you realize that “Black Friday” is less than three weeks away? Get your elbow pads ready!Last weekend, we walked through our nearby Home Depot. Even though we still have a glut of Halloween candy in our cupboard, the front part of Home Depot was filled with Christmas decorations and items.
Halloween is in the books. Veterans’ Day and Thanksgiving are retail busts. So November 1 -- the day after Halloween -- now marks the countdown to Christmas. Fifty-four shopping days to go!
Faux trees. Faux wreaths. Faux candles. Faux everything. Ironically, most of it was manufactured in China. Yes, those atheistic Commies provide goodies for one of Christendom’s biggest holidays.
Maybe a little irony is fitting. The origin of Christmas is not as solemn as some folks profess or might think. Most scientists -- except for faux scientists -- and religious scholars agree that December 25th is a faux “birthday.” The nativity story of lambs, shepherds, a guiding star, travel to Bethlehem for a census, etc. just does not line up with any December night 2,000 years ago or historical records.
Interestingly, original Christians did not celebrate the birth of Christ at all. That was contrary to existing tradition which did not mark the births of Martyrs and Prophets. Consistent with that tradition, Jehovah’s Witnesses reject Christmas and the celebration of birthdays even today.
Some scholars suggest that December 25 became the celebration of Christ’s birth as an alternative to popular pagan winter holidays and celebrations. People had been celebrating the winter solstice or having winter festivals long before any Pope or Christian leader existed. Bacchus (the God of Wine) was honored by the ancient Romans with festivities on December 24. If the flock was going to be out celebrating anyway, why not give them a religious reason for doing so?
The Eastern Orthodox Church originally celebrated Christ’s birth on January 6 but gave in to the Roman Church in the Fourth Century. The Armenian Church still celebrates on January 6th. But now by consensus of Christian leadership, most Christians celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25. The vast majority of American Christians probably will argue vociferously that December 25th is THE birthday!
Despite its either solemn or pagan beginnings, Christmas now is the most important time for American retailers. The religiosity of the day and season has given way to elves, Santa Claus, and egg nog. The Christmas "season" now marks a spending spree for decorations, cards, and gifts. For many retailers, the profitability of their year is dependent upon the holiday shopping season.
So, why not move the beginning of holiday shopping season up? Why wait until Thanksgiving when you can replace made-in-China faux pumpkins with made-in-China faux trees? After all, it is an opportunity for big business and the Chinese to make a pant load of money!