Merry Christmas… to everyone

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Merry Christmas to those of you who visit this blog.  May this year be extra special in ways you’ve not experienced before. 

Merry Christmas to my children, to the man I love and to my family.
Merry Christmas to my friends and to my neighbors.
Merry Christmas to my Children’s teachers, and to all teachers.
To the salespeople who have been nice and helpful to me while Christmas shopping: Merry Christmas. 
To the rude people in the mall during this Season: Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to the man who yelled, “Bush sucks” at me while stopped at a red light in response to my bumper sticker.
And Merry Christmas to the man who was driving in front of me with the bumper sticker that says: 

                           

Merry Christmas to those who are hurting this Christmas, and to those dealing with illness.
To those who have allowed their sadness to turn to anger and then try to make everyone around them miserable: Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to those whose hearts have become so cold.

To those in our government who try and succeed: Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to those who try and fail.
To those in the media who don’t try hard enough: Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to Jon Stewart, John Kerry, Al Franken and Nancy Pelosi.

To the people who make our country great: Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to our brave and selfless heroes in the military.
To the people who constantly complain that our nation isn’t great enough: Merry Christmas.
To those who want to destroy us: Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to the Taliban, to Al Qaeda and to Osama bin Laden.

Merry Christmas to everyone. 

Christmas is a gift of love not given based on the merits of the recipient.   God gave His Son to be born on this day so that He could one day die and provide the ultimate gift: forgiveness of our sin.

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:7-8
The Holy Bible

Chicago – Not MY Kind of Town

The Mayor’s Office of Special Events Nixes “The Nativity Story” Movie Display at Chicago’s Annual Christmas Celebration for Fear of offending non-Christians.

Yes, read it again… that’s what it says.  It brings absurdity to an entirely new level and provides an even more ridiculous category for political correctness. And the name of this annual Christmas celebration?  It’s the German Christkindlmarket – yet the movie chronicling the birth of Christ is not welcome. 

Somehow, though, the grand Nativity display that has been a part of the Celebration since its inception is perfectly o.k. and not considered “insensitive to the many people of different faiths who come to enjoy the market for its food and unique gifts,” in the words of Jim Law of the Mayor’s Office of Special Events.  By the way, among the “unique gifts” is a vendor advertised as follows on the official Christkindlmarket website:

Bethlehem Nativity Products – From the Holy Land -
Nativity scenes, praying hands & religious symbols

According to Natalie Martinez of NBC5 in Chicago, the movie was listed on the city Web site as a sponsor of the city’s largest Christmas celebration at Daley Plaza until recently.  Even though the city claims they “never threatened to withdraw their support” of New Line Cinema’s movie, a statement by New Line expresses their frustration: “We don’t understand why our sponsorship would be rejected for religious reasons, particularly considering the fact that our film details the story that inspired the holiday season that Christkindlmarket was created to celebrate.”

Only after this story drew national attention did the City of Chicago amend their stance to include any mention of advertising standards.  Apparently, the City’s problem with New Line Cinema is now under the heading of “aggressive marketing tactics”.  Interesting.  What heading, pray tell, would this fall under:

*I* found it advertised on the official Christkindlmarket website under 2006 Program Highlights… right after “Grand Opening”. 

I’m sorry, but I’m getting mixed messages here, people.  If the underwriters of the Christmas festival participate in blatant commercialism, it’s o.k., but if a company produces a movie about the birth of Christ, they can’t pay to display the trailer for that movie?

As long as I understand… :-/

How about everyone just gets used to the idea that Christmas actually IS Christ’s birthday?  It IS a Federal Holiday… we all have a day off to honor Christ’s birth and for no other reason. Why not stop the bickering, political hair-splitting, ACLU-ing and try to find out what the day actually means?