Christmas is one of the many stange things about a post-Christian culture. A holiday (AKA holy day) that was utterly scorned by the Puritains, is now considered a vital battle in the war to retain a "Christian" foundation. "Keep Christ in Christmas" say the Knights of Columbus in their bilboard advertisement. And people are angry when schools in an effort to avoid getting sued start having "winter holidays" instead of Christmas Break.

And yet here we are yet again engaged in a frenetic display of materialism that would do the ancient Romans proud.

I think this year my renewed favorite commentator on Christmas is the Grinch.  Dr Suse never explains Christmas in that story. Probably because he didn't understand it himself. But the Grinch certainly gets at the heart of all of us fallen human beings.

Hating and being hated

And into that kind of a world, on a date probably removed a good deal from Dec 25th at some point around AD1 give or take 3 years or so.  Jesus came into the World.  And that is something to celebrate.