Christmas Past, or Present?

I’m not standing in judgment, I just don’t understand.  Yesterday I went for a drive and the sad sight of a lone Christmas tree, stripped of its decorations and lights, lay abandoned on the side of the road. It was only one day after Christmas. I understand that some trees are a bona-fide fire hazard by the 26^th, and they need to be removed for the sake of safety alone. Some people are going out of town and don’t want to deal with the removal after their return. There are many good reasons to take the decorations down early, but every year? What I’m talking about are the “serial-day-after-Christmas-decoration- removal-individuals.” They take the decorations down immediately because “Christmas is over.”

‘Cuse me? Oy vey! It doesn’t matter what faith you come from, believe in, or don’t believe in, but if you “participate” or believe, why short change the event? For me there is nothing sadder than celebrating because everyone else does, or giving just because of the gifts. It’s a lack of perspective that gets me. Christmas is more than just one day. Sure, if we’re going to be accurate, the birth of Christ wasn’t even December 25^th, but that is the day chosen to celebrate the anniversary of Christ’s birth, and it’s also called the “Christmas Season.” The wise men didn’t arrive five minutes after the birth with presents, it took a few days, hence Little Christmas, or Epiphany, which falls on January 6^th. I could go on and on, but the point is, have we really become so commercial that we believe Christmas is only one day?

When you get right down to it, we decorate for ourselves because it makes us feel good to see that special glow, the twinkling of lights and the bright reds and greens in the middle of winter. The manger scene reminds us, as does the star or angel atop the Christmas tree, and sometimes it’s good to be reminded of what is important. To celebrate Christmas I guess you really don’t need the decorations at all, and yet there is a part of me that thinks putting away the manger and the lights the day after Christmas would be like taking down a menorah after the second day of Chanukah.