Something on my Mind: It's the most Wonderful Time of the Year--sez who?

    I basically agree with that song.  You may remember from previous columns the many reasons why I love Christmas, despite it being trashed and thrashed by the culture at large.  But then again, maybe you don't remember

Hey, I write this stuff and I can't always remember what I wrote over the years.

But what I do know is not everyone thinks this is "the most wonderful time of year"--and for different reasons. More on that later.

Let's look at the positive side of things first.  There are four groupings of people (maybe more) who love this time of year, for a host of different reasons.

1. Retailers. The precise percentage of their sales during this season has escaped me, but it is disproportionately high.  Apparently the profits from November and December's sales exceed the other ten months combined.  I too would consider that a wonderful time of the year, if my profits were that good.

2. Kids. Every child I know loves the gifts, food, decorations, even the break from school.  I know that because, well, I was a kid once.  And there is a kid in every one of us, whether we're 25 , 55, or 85.

3. Lovers, especially lovers who have just gotten engaged.  There is something special about the rush of anticipating spending the rest of one's life with Mr. Dreamboat or Miss Hotstuff.  And if those feelings persist over the years, then Christmas is so much more special.

4. Churches. This is a really exciting time of year for Bible-believing churches.  Those that take the Bible literally see the story of Jesus' birth, and the peace and hope that comes out of it, as very meaningful.

So it always baffles me when the secularists try to eradicate anything to do with Christ at Christmas (after all, it is CHRIST-mas, you know).  Not only is it shortsighted and unfortunate, it's wrong.

That's a natural segue into why not everyone thinks this is "the most wonderful time of year."

1. Secularists. I have alluded to them already, as I know this season grates on their nerves.  To them, they hate the thought of celebrating the birth of someone they question ever existed, or if He did, wasn't too significant.  It's hard for them to get past that Babe, but if they could, they would see the goodwill and joy that His birth has brought to humanity.

2. Anti-Semites. That's a fancy-schmancy term for Jew haters. I'm not sure if there is a rational reason for such contempt, but it is prevalent and growing.  The basis for their feelings is that Jesus was born a Jew in what has become Israel.   Anti-Semites include all secularists and religions that despise anything to with Israel.

3. Bereaved ones. These are people who have lost family members: literally, through death; or, figuratively, through broken relationships.  To celebrate the joy of the season over the years, then to have that bond ripped away, makes this season very painful.

My wife herself lost an uncle (her dad's brother) and aunt (her mom's sister) in 2018.  It will impact the season for her, as well the closer relatives.

Others may not get their own separate category, but I am thinking of those who just received some bad news from their doctor, those workers at the GM plant in Oshawa, as well as members and parents of the Humboldt Broncos—just a few groupings that have come to me as a I write.  It will not be the same for them as it was for last year's Christmas.

So, is it "the most wonderful time of the year" for you?

Maybe you're not up for it, but why don't you try to do something special for yourself and for others.  Try a different dish, play a different board game, or have someone different over for games and snacks?

And have yourself "the most different time of the year" this time.