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Entry Forty-seven

I was passing through New York City not long ago and I saw a large sign that said “Who needs ‘Christ’ in Christmas?” Well I read that and, needless to say, I was rather pissed off. Do people just not remember what Christmas was really about and what it is still about to this day? Believe me…I was there to witness the event! I was there to see the aftermath of the event! I, along with every other angel in Heaven was there to see the birth of Jesus. I know exactly what this holiday is about.
Forgive me, I’ve gotten a little ahead of myself.
I think what makes me so mad is not just the fact that Christmas has been so commercialized these days (even though that is a huge problem), but also that people who CLAIM to know the real meaning are also not really correct. I’ve seen several posters, commercials, and conversations between people where they say that Christmas is about family…and togetherness…and being kind. Well, yes, Christmas should be about those things but…why can’t EVERY day be about that? Should humanity only show kindness and good will towards men on only one day of the year? That’s what pisses me off the most. People treat the holiday like it’s the one time of the year that they are required to act like friendly and godly people.
Going back to that sign I saw earlier, I hate how people say “Who needs ‘Christ’ in Christmas?” Do you want to know why I can’t stand this? Because you never hear anyone say something like that about Hanukah or any other day. It’s kind of like saying “Who needs the veterans in ‘Veterans Day?” The holiday is centered around veterans, so they kind of come along with the package. So why would you remove the center of a holiday from the holiday?

There are plenty of things that I do enjoy about the holidays. Though I complained about it, I do respect the fact that people are so kind and ‘filled with the spirit’ during this time of year. I also do think that your modern day idea of Saint Nicolas (what do you call him again? Santa? Para Noel? Chris Cringle?) is a very hilarious concept. The idea of a big fat guy riding around the world in one night on a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer to give presents to all the children of the world. I see his image pop up everywhere and I have a quiet laugh to myself. I knew the real Saint Nicolas…and I think that, if he could actually be the supernatural and jolly creature you’ve all made him out to be today, then he’d be infinitely happy. I recall his soul being lighter than most…but perhaps that was because he was just so light hearted and so good natured.
I also think the mistletoe thing is cute. I recall one or two holidays where I saw mistletoe growing overhead and I felt a mischievous urge to stand under it and see who would share a kiss with me and experience ‘The Kiss of Death.’ Forgive me…I couldn’t resist the joke. In all honesty though, I do appreciate and enjoy such cute and trivial things from time to time. They are not beneath me. It’s like the idea of Christmas trees, decorations, and lights. I think that such things are entertaining and enjoyable. When I walk through neighborhoods and big cities, I love seeing the world light up around me like never before in fascinating colors and hues, the likes of which I don’t get to see very often. Yes, there are things I do like about the holidays that you humans have added to it.

With that said, I think I should take a moment to enlighten you about what the holiday really is about. It’s not about the tree, the presents, Saint Nicolas, and it’s not even about family get togethers…it’s about a night devine…when every angel was brought to one location…to a little town of Bethlehem.

I was called away from my job for a single night. The voice of the Lord called out to me and ordered me to Bethlehem immediately. I didn’t ask why. I didn’t need to. See, when the Lord give you an order, you shouldn’t ask why…you just do what he says. If He says “Jump,” you shouldn’t even ask “how far?” You just jump. So, when he says to go to a city, I dropped everything and rushed to the city.
When I got there, I saw that I wasn’t alone. Every other angel was there as well. Some that I hadn’t seen in decades. Angels gathered around in the sky, overlooking a single place. I looked as well. The place was a stable…it was filled with livestock and animals, with straw all over the ground. I had seen many stables like this and they all had a few things in common…most of these things involved awful odors and loud animals. However, it was the two people in the stable that drew my attention. It was a man and a woman…and the woman was pregnant. Not only was she pregnant…she was going into labor! We watched…all of us. The angels, the animals, the stars in the sky, and myself. We all watched her give birth to an infant…a crying and screaming little boy who was shivering from the cold as they lay him in a manger.
This boy though…this infant was not an ordinary infant. Upon seeing it, every angel, including myself…we all dropped to our knees and bowed our heads. This child was our Lord…but how was it possible!? Our Lord had become this infant…this baby! The hands that created galaxies and worlds were now so small, and fragile. The mouth that had spoken worlds into being were now suckling on a womans breasts hungrily. The voice that could command nations to rise and fall was crying and squealing pathetically. What was I looking at?! I turned to one of the angels I knew, Gabriel. Gabriel stood not far off from me, near the front of the group. He was looking too. I knew that he’d been sent on a special assignment…but was this it? From the look on his face, even he was slightly taken aback by the scene before him. Why would our Lord reduce himself to this? Why would the Son of God come to this Earth like this? I couldn’t wrap my mind around it.
After a while though…I began to understand. He was a gift. The first gift. The most important gift. He was the gift of salvation…and the promise kept. I wouldn’t learn this fully until the day of the first Easter, when I would claim, and then release his soul. All I knew now was that this was the will of my Lord…to be seen this way by humanity and by His angels. His smiling face brought joy to my heart, and joy to the hearts and eyes of the Heavenly Host around me. We would stand there for hours and hours…watching over our Lord.
There were several things that would come later and happen that I would be apart of…such as the devastating attack on the Jewish baby boys lead by Herod…and I was thrilled to learn that the baby Jesus and his family had escaped. But I would never forget that one holy night…that first noel. That was what Christmas was really about. It was about that gift to humanity, sent from my Lord Himself.

I am afraid that I am out of time and must leave. However, before I go, I must make this one request of you: Remember what this holiday is truly about. Enjoy your presents, your trees, you Saint Nicolas, and your family gatherings…but don’t forget the real meaning of this holiday and what truly made it what it is. Don’t remove ‘Christ’ from Christmas…because then there is nothing but emptiness to this holiday…nothing to celebrate…and nothing for you to enjoy. Think about what truly happened those many years ago…and what it all was really for. That is my one desire this year.
Thank you.

Sincerely,
A.D

Description
Entry Forty-seven

I was passing through New York City not long ago and I saw a large sign that said “Who needs ‘Christ’ in Christmas?” Well I read that and, needless to say, I was rather pissed off. Do people just not remember what Christmas was really about and what it is still about to this day? Believe me…I was there to witness the event! I was there to see the aftermath of the event! I, along with every other angel in Heaven was there to see the birth of Jesus. I know exactly what this holiday is about.
Forgive me, I’ve gotten a little ahead of myself.
I think what makes me so mad is not just the fact that Christmas has been so commercialized these days (even though that is a huge problem), but also that people who CLAIM to know the real meaning are also not really correct. I’ve seen several posters, commercials, and conversations between people where they say that Christmas is about family…and togetherness…and being kind. Well, yes, Christmas should be about those things but…why can’t EVERY day be about that? Should humanity only show kindness and good will towards men on only one day of the year? That’s what pisses me off the most. People treat the holiday like it’s the one time of the year that they are required to act like friendly and godly people.
Going back to that sign I saw earlier, I hate how people say “Who needs ‘Christ’ in Christmas?” Do you want to know why I can’t stand this? Because you never hear anyone say something like that about Hanukah or any other day. It’s kind of like saying “Who needs the veterans in ‘Veterans Day?” The holiday is centered around veterans, so they kind of come along with the package. So why would you remove the center of a holiday from the holiday?

There are plenty of things that I do enjoy about the holidays. Though I complained about it, I do respect the fact that people are so kind and ‘filled with the spirit’ during this time of year. I also do think that your modern day idea of Saint Nicolas (what do you call him again? Santa? Para Noel? Chris Cringle?) is a very hilarious concept. The idea of a big fat guy riding around the world in one night on a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer to give presents to all the children of the world. I see his image pop up everywhere and I have a quiet laugh to myself. I knew the real Saint Nicolas…and I think that, if he could actually be the supernatural and jolly creature you’ve all made him out to be today, then he’d be infinitely happy. I recall his soul being lighter than most…but perhaps that was because he was just so light hearted and so good natured.
I also think the mistletoe thing is cute. I recall one or two holidays where I saw mistletoe growing overhead and I felt a mischievous urge to stand under it and see who would share a kiss with me and experience ‘The Kiss of Death.’ Forgive me…I couldn’t resist the joke. In all honesty though, I do appreciate and enjoy such cute and trivial things from time to time. They are not beneath me. It’s like the idea of Christmas trees, decorations, and lights. I think that such things are entertaining and enjoyable. When I walk through neighborhoods and big cities, I love seeing the world light up around me like never before in fascinating colors and hues, the likes of which I don’t get to see very often. Yes, there are things I do like about the holidays that you humans have added to it.

With that said, I think I should take a moment to enlighten you about what the holiday really is about. It’s not about the tree, the presents, Saint Nicolas, and it’s not even about family get togethers…it’s about a night devine…when every angel was brought to one location…to a little town of Bethlehem.

I was called away from my job for a single night. The voice of the Lord called out to me and ordered me to Bethlehem immediately. I didn’t ask why. I didn’t need to. See, when the Lord give you an order, you shouldn’t ask why…you just do what he says. If He says “Jump,” you shouldn’t even ask “how far?” You just jump. So, when he says to go to a city, I dropped everything and rushed to the city.
When I got there, I saw that I wasn’t alone. Every other angel was there as well. Some that I hadn’t seen in decades. Angels gathered around in the sky, overlooking a single place. I looked as well. The place was a stable…it was filled with livestock and animals, with straw all over the ground. I had seen many stables like this and they all had a few things in common…most of these things involved awful odors and loud animals. However, it was the two people in the stable that drew my attention. It was a man and a woman…and the woman was pregnant. Not only was she pregnant…she was going into labor! We watched…all of us. The angels, the animals, the stars in the sky, and myself. We all watched her give birth to an infant…a crying and screaming little boy who was shivering from the cold as they lay him in a manger.
This boy though…this infant was not an ordinary infant. Upon seeing it, every angel, including myself…we all dropped to our knees and bowed our heads. This child was our Lord…but how was it possible!? Our Lord had become this infant…this baby! The hands that created galaxies and worlds were now so small, and fragile. The mouth that had spoken worlds into being were now suckling on a womans breasts hungrily. The voice that could command nations to rise and fall was crying and squealing pathetically. What was I looking at?! I turned to one of the angels I knew, Gabriel. Gabriel stood not far off from me, near the front of the group. He was looking too. I knew that he’d been sent on a special assignment…but was this it? From the look on his face, even he was slightly taken aback by the scene before him. Why would our Lord reduce himself to this? Why would the Son of God come to this Earth like this? I couldn’t wrap my mind around it.
After a while though…I began to understand. He was a gift. The first gift. The most important gift. He was the gift of salvation…and the promise kept. I wouldn’t learn this fully until the day of the first Easter, when I would claim, and then release his soul. All I knew now was that this was the will of my Lord…to be seen this way by humanity and by His angels. His smiling face brought joy to my heart, and joy to the hearts and eyes of the Heavenly Host around me. We would stand there for hours and hours…watching over our Lord.
There were several things that would come later and happen that I would be apart of…such as the devastating attack on the Jewish baby boys lead by Herod…and I was thrilled to learn that the baby Jesus and his family had escaped. But I would never forget that one holy night…that first noel. That was what Christmas was really about. It was about that gift to humanity, sent from my Lord Himself.

I am afraid that I am out of time and must leave. However, before I go, I must make this one request of you: Remember what this holiday is truly about. Enjoy your presents, your trees, you Saint Nicolas, and your family gatherings…but don’t forget the real meaning of this holiday and what truly made it what it is. Don’t remove ‘Christ’ from Christmas…because then there is nothing but emptiness to this holiday…nothing to celebrate…and nothing for you to enjoy. Think about what truly happened those many years ago…and what it all was really for. That is my one desire this year.
Thank you.

Sincerely,
A.D