twas the night before Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve

is it just me or do we celebrate Christmas earlier and earlier each year?

no doubt i heard Christmas songs this year right after the 4th of July . . . ok, maybe it was Haloween! either way, the season is lengthening.

since i know the true meaning of Christmas, this shouldn't bother me, right? well, i suppose if as a society, we were extending the season in order to focus more attention on the birth of Christ and the the simple fact the the creator of the universe sent His Son - Emmanuel, "God is With Us," i suppose i would be doing cartwheels.

however, it's more likely that the commercialism of the holiday season deserves most of the credit for the extended hours. stores are initiating sales much earlier than Black Friday. we know have, blue Thursday (starts at midnight of Thanksgiving), firetruck red Wednesday, fucia Tuesday, goldenrod Monday . . . and the list seems to go on. we are being "put in the mood" to shop, buy, spend, deplete savings . . . whether we like it or not.

and the mood? not a focus on the real reason, but a colaborative effort to get the American people to spend more $$$? ok, so maybe this is a stretch, and what am i really trying to say?

is this a common case of Grinch"itis" just 5 days before the coveted Christmas Day?

we must fight for extending the hours of the true meaning of this season. God chose to be with us in human form. to suffer, to understand, to face everything we would face, so that He could truly say, "i know what you are going through!"

let's extend the amount of time we celebrate this truth. well beyond New Year's Day and throughout all of 2009. He came to be with us. God is with us! no matter which life issue has you backed into a aorner. today, you may need to step back from life and remember this truth. and possibly, this truth will set you free!

peace