A local radio station began playing “holiday” music around the clock two Saturdays before Thanksgiving.  The “holiday” they were acknowledging was not Thanksgiving, but Chistmas.  While I would like to applaud those who participate in a celebration focussing on the birth of the world’s Savior, I realize that has little to do with the reason for entertaining us with the songs of the season.

The real reason that many of us immerse ourselves in the Christmas, excuse me, “holiday” spirit, is far less lofty.  This is the time of year that we all look for a surge of material good fortune.  Retailers depend on successful sales figures to make their year; the hospitality industry depends on year end celebrations and revelry to boost profits.  Even non-profits and, yes my congregation, hope to balance their budgets with an increase in giving before year’s end.

An alarming result of this commercial focus has me wondering what has happened to us.  News sources reported that there were at least seven deaths resulting from “shopping violence” on the day after Thanksgiving known as “Black Friday.”  This has become one of the top retail sales’ days of the year.  We are enticed to storm stores opening early in the morning on Friday, or more so this year, at midnight on Thursday, along with hoards of shoppers lured in to snatch up deals as they fill their Christmas, excuse me again, “holiday” lists.

This year Black Friday shopping took a nasty lunge forward.  In scenes that have been described as “riotous,” shoppers and store employees were injured, and in several cases, killed as customers rushed to fill their arms with deals.  In at least one case a security guard was beaten to death trying to stop celebrants of the birth of the “Prince of Peace” from stealing items that they were going to give someone to acknowledge the coming of the Messiah.

Many times I have participated in movements to “put Christ back into Christmas,” but perhaps it is time to remove Christ from the “holiday” festivities.  My disgust for those who storm store shelves to greedily grab an item to give in Christ’s name leads me to think that this has become an abomination in the sight of God.  We have become captive to a new spirit of the season that finds its purpose not in the gracious work of God, but in the carnal cravings of a humanity that is becoming inhuman.

Is it time to say no to the spirit of self that is gratified in having the newest toy (for any age) and instead return to giving rather than grabbing?  Is it difficult for you to think that there might be a gift under the tree that is the result of elbowing someone else out of the way?  That is not my kind of Christmas celebration.  If that is the manner in which the gift was acquired, then keep it for your “holiday” celebration and leave Christ and Christmas, and me, out of it.

Let’s put the “Holy Day” back into the “holiday.”