The worst "Ism" of all...

"Yeah, there's a lot of bad 'isms' floatin' around this world, but one of the worst is commercialism. Make a buck, make a buck. Even in Brooklyn it's the same - don't care what Christmas stands for, just make a buck, make a buck." - The Janitor Kid from "Miracle on 34th Street"

No other words can put it better than this classic movie released in 1947. And that was 65 years ago. If they thought commercialism was bad then, I can't imagine what they would think it is today.

I was quite appalled when I heard an advertisement for Kmart recently, "Get in. Get more Christmas." That seems to be everyone's slogan this year.

New Flash. You can't buy Christmas. Christmas does not come with a bar-code and it can't be purchased. So much emphasis has been put on buying gifts. Just look at Black Friday, or as I like to call it Black Soul Friday. People fight with and trample each other in order to save some money on gifts. When did material things become more important than other human beings? Why do we have to rush out of our nice, family orientated Thanksgiving dinner in order to buy gifts? That new laptop won't make Christmas any better because material things don't equal Christmas. Plus, everything you buy this year will be outdated by next year.

Another Christmas favorite, "The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas," says it the best. Christmas isn't a place or a thing, or even a time. It's something you carry around in your heart. It's a way of acting towards others...Christmas is a way of giving.

Plus, there is only one gift that will ever matter, and it's the whole reason we celebrate Christmas. God gave us his only son. BEST.GIFT.EVER. Better yet, it was a gift that was free - the gift of grace, mercy, and salvation. You will never find a deal like that on Black Friday.

So, instead of being another piece in the commercialism puzzle, spend time and have fun with friends and family; play in the snow, sing carols, make some cookies. It's not about the "things," it's about the people and moments that put a smile on your face. It's about the best gift of all, one that was only wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger; a gift to all mankind.

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