The Day After

So here it is the day after Thanksgiving, aka Black Friday here in US, and now that we have given thanks for all those things that God has blessed us with we are out worshipping at the altar of greed!  I am amazed at the number of people who will get up in the wee hours of the morning to go and buy stuff that 15 minutes after the present is opened it is either broken or forgotten about.  Maybe this year rather then buying some useless gift we could give some of that money to a food pantry or some other charity that will help people who live outside all year long and not just when they are in line at Target for the latest foreign made junk.  Yesterday was a day of gluttony (and did I participate in that) and today is a day of greed!

Yesterday was a day of family and of course football.  I am thankful that the New England Patriots pulled it out but it was pretty dicey there for a while.  But as the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait and it did.  It was nice to spend sometime with my brother and sister-in-law (who did all the cooking, another thing I am thankful for) and my parents.  Small group this year but festive none the less.  And thankful to be able to catch up with the rest of the clan on facebook and to see that the Corn hole game we all fell in love with this summer in Tennessee is still alive and well.  I cannot wait for the rematch at the next reunion.  Two years to practice guys!  That trophy is mine!

So now begins the rush to Christmas.  We go right from Thanksgiving to Christmas skipping Advent all together but that is the way things go.  Actually I think we go from Halloween to Christmas but who knows.  One of these years the Christmas stuff will just stay up all year!  The fights will now begin on saying happy holidays vs. Merry Christmas and the fights will begin as well on other expression of the season i.e. manger scenes on town squares.  For me, although I was all over this last year, we do not need outward signs of Christmas because Christmas is in your heart and should be there.  If you want an expression of Christmas how about going to Church!  The Christ Child came for the salvation of humanity not so we can set up some plastic made in China replica of him and his family, but for the salvation of you.  Spend some time this year and get back in touch with him by going to church.  That is the best expression of Christmas we could ever have.