Let’s set the stage.

Lines of people protruding from the millions of stores all over the United States of America... Mothers, fathers, aunts, and uncles fighting- I’m talking fist fights with hospital visits- over mainly useless items to give to their friends and families… Adults going bankrupt over impulse spending for a single holiday…

These, my friend, are only some of the many effects of what holiday, you may ask? That’s right, Christmas! Around the beginning of November, sometimes October, citizens of the U.S. start buying gifts for almost everyone they have ever met. Those people are completely missing the boat. Christmas isn’t about the gifts. It’s about remembering the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ. Call me crazy, but I’m thinking that’s the whole reason why the celebration is called Christmas.

So, instead of holding a knock-down-drag-out match over a Barbie Doll in the middle of Target, we, as a nation, should be preparing for Jesus’ birth. For example, we could pray for a good year, for our families, or to become closer to God. Also, we should go to Reconciliation (or Confession) to “clean” our souls. Another thing that would help us prepare is doing charity work, like volunteering at a soup kitchen or giving Christmas cards to residents at old folk’s homes. One more thing that would be good for us to do is to just spend some quality time with our friends and families, especially the ones we haven’t seen in a while.

I know, I know! No one wants to give up the sensation of being showered with presents on Christmas morning. You can still receive some gifts, but just don’t make them the focus of Christmas. Trust me; The Amazing Race of Christmas Shopping is not worth an extra trip to the emergency room.