Tis the season to start thinking about .
. . things other than parties, gifts, and over indulgences. This is also the season when it behooves one
to think about others. I think the
message of Christmas frequently, almost always, is lost in the Merchandizing
that inundates us. Push all that aside
and have a quiet moment. When we pause
and give our minds a chance to just rest and gently explore areas that aren’t
top most in our mind (that would be all the white noise of the holiday season)
do we even think about the religious aspect of the season?
I thought I would look at the statistics
in Canada and the USA on church going now and in the 1950’s. I was very much surprised by the significant
contrast between Canada and the USA.
Today only about 20% in Canada are regular church goers where almost 37%
of Americans still attend church regularly.
At the same time 70% of Americans identify with a religion which is
almost unchanged from 1937 statistics. I
find it curious that given the religious nature of Americans the holidays are
commercialized to such an extent that it has affected the rest of the
world. When we hear the statistics on
how much a person will spend over the holidays it just seems out of all
proportion to the spirit of the holiday.
It’s no wonder that the holidays can
create all kinds of anxiety for a person from satisfying expectations to
dreading the January bills. I’m thinking
of encouraging my family to move away from the material side of Christmas and
focus more on the true spirit of Christmas, spreading love and joy (without
gifts).
I wonder how that will go over?
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