With holiday time in full swing, it’s interesting to consider the traditions associated with Christmas. What do decorated trees and wreaths, yule logs, Santa Claus, Christmas cookies, and jingle bells have to do with the birth of Christ? Answer: Nothing! What does December 25 have to do with the birth of Jesus Christ? Answer: Nothing! Research reveals that Jesus was actually born in the fall of the year. Almost all the customs of Christmas stem from ancient pagan festivals honoring other gods, and didn’t begin until some 300 years after Christ’s death. And although the Bible records details about the…
“We have a flat tire,” my husband R. said, as he carefully guided the family van onto the shoulder of the highway. We had just gotten onto the NY State Thruway when I heard an unmistakable POP, and seconds later a grating noise and THUD THUD THUD. It was Christmas morning and we were about sixty minutes in on our 2½ hour trip to my sister’s house. Awaiting us—if we got there—would be a delicious prime rib dinner and surely a delightful visit. As we all got out and surveyed the damage, thoughts quickly turned to the “what should we…
American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson exposed a curious side of human nature when he wrote: “If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile.”[1] That which is continually present becomes diminished, and loses its value in our minds. Or, in other words, that which we constantly see, we stop seeing! How easy to take for granted and stop appreciating…