The wrong Jesus: A Christmas Meditation

He’s almost certainly not exactly who you think he is, and to know him, you have to be open to change.

Why we need Christmas

The seasons of Advent and Christmas are my favorite times of year when I let them be. I’m pretty much a grump by nature, so the joy of the holiday season doesn’t come naturally to me. My mood beginning in late October and early November is one of fussiness, because it is then that I […]

The point of Christmas: draw near

I’m worn out and depressed. I’ve been going through a lot of changes lately, and I’m not happy with many of the results. I lost a job and am adjusting to a new one with a long commute, and subsequently I moved apartments to cut down on said commute, so I’ve been packing and unpacking […]

When Christmas isn’t very merry

Emotions are strange. We all experience them at different levels of intensity. I’m sure that in a way our experience of each is slightly unique from one another, too. Sometimes we have a decent degree of control over how we feel while at other times we’re seemingly helpless. As is the case with many holidays, […]

Bah, humbug!

Our society has turned the holiday season into Consumertopia. It’s impossible to think of Thanksgiving without thinking “Black Friday.” Starting in October we see stores decked out with wreaths, Santa, and elves. Come November our commercials have jingling bells and yuletide carols. The blatant over-saturation of 1950s holiday Americana (which in turn was a commercial […]