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Looking in the Window: When Is Christmas?

Some say that Christ wasn’t born on December 25th. They claim that Christians took the date from a Roman holiday honoring the sun or a sun god. The Britannica Encyclopedia says Christians took the date to rival pagan feasts taking place during the Winter Solstice, which honored a new age brought by the sun. Depending on location, the Winter Solstice occurs on or around December 25th. Even though it lasts only an instant in time, many cultures have held festivals marking it as midwinter. According to some, Christmas simply grew to be one of the most popular events. Nonetheless, every year by the time we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving, festive decorations acknowledging the birth of Christ appear in overwhelming numbers across the American landscape. A majority of homes have wreaths on their doors, candles in their windows, lights in the yards. And jolly old Santa Claus sits in the middle of the mall to greet youngsters. And this country’s biggest celebration continues until after December

THE SILENT CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS!                                 MERRY CHRISTMAS !                          MERRY CHRISTMAS!                                                                MERRY CHRISTMAS!        MERRY CHRISTMAS! This year's Christmas reminds me of an exciting, wonderful movie on the television with the sound turned off. I walk into a mall, and with the exception of my local Sears store, there's no indication that it's anything except an ordinary day. I purchase a gift and the clerk says, "Thank you. Have a nice day." I want to scream. "This is a Christmas present. I'm buying it because it's Christmas!" I know the clerks are doing what they've been told, so I don't. There are throngs of people waiting in line to buy gifts in their stores. It doesn't look like an ordinary day. Who told them it was? Why? On December twenty-fifth Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. They've been doing it in this country as long