Is anyone else pretty saddened by what has happened to Christmas? The last week has been especially telling as the news focuses on Black Friday (the biggest retail shopping day of the year) with shoppers lining up at store doors just after midnight to get the best deals.

I just saw a news clip warning consumers that they need to create a Christmas budget so they won't have to pay for the celebration throughout the next year! The shopping centers are filled with glitz and the newspapers filled with ads for the latest bargains. It seems that Christmas has become a big Shopping Extravaganza!

Of course, I could write pages on the battles of recent past when there was threatened legislation to remove any mention of Christ as it relates to the holiday! That still has me shaking my head.

I am glad that so much of the world acknowledges Christmas and that people want to get together with loved ones to celebrate love and giving. But bit-by-bit, it seems that the economics and marketing assoicated with Christmas are taking over the Spirit of the celebration in most people's minds.

This is a good time to think about ways to hold back the wave of consumerism and instead center on Christ, love, and giving from the heart. Take a few minutes and pray about how you will celebrate Christ coming into the world so that it's meaningful, fulfilling, and appropriate. In doing this, my guess is that when the day is over you will have an authentic warmth in your heart and sweet memories in your mind.