The Old Man at Christmas

I was out for my daily walk in the park on a crisp winter’s day when I passed an old man that was sitting on a park bench.  He looked sad and appeared down in the dumps, so I thought a seasonal greeting might help to perk him up.

“Merry Christmas, my friend,” I offered cheerfully.

“What’s there to be merry about,” he mumbled in response, and his comment made me pull up abruptly.  I wanted to explore the reason for his unusual reply.   

“Is something wrong?” I inquired.  He didn’t appear to be homeless, since he was dressed fairly well and had a nice coat on, so I wondered what had him appear in such despair.

“Yes, something is wrong.  Christmas isn’t what it used to be or what it should be.”

“I know things probably aren’t perfect, but it can’t be as bad as that.”

“I can’t think of anything worse, because nearly everyone has taken Christ out of Christmas!  Many just pay lip service to his birth.  To them, Christmas is merely about Santa Claus or Father Christmas for the children, and lots of Christmas parties with lots of booze, and lots of presents for all of them.  They’re all getting greedy and are primarily focused on getting as many expensive gifts as possible.  Too many don’t even think about Jesus for the rest of the year, except around Easter, and they don’t always follow his teachings.”

“Yes, it’s true that Christmas has become too commercialized and people expect, or maybe even demand a lot of presents, but it’s not that bad.  Lots of people go to church every week, so it can’t be as bad as you think and you shouldn’t despair.” 

“I can’t help it.  It’s difficult to accept how much things have changed since I was a child.  Back in the 1930s and 1940s, when Santa played second fiddle to the Christ child and you saw nativities everywhere.  There were large nativities outdoors and everyone had a smaller one in their homes, either under the tree or displayed where visitors could see it.  You might see partial nativity displays around nowadays, especially the lighted variety, but they’re incomplete.  They don’t show the Three Kings or the shepherds that came to pay homage to the baby that would grow up to become our savior.”

“That is true, but the lack of nativities may be the fact that not everyone is a Christian these days.  There are more people now that follow other religions or no religion at all, and those groups have grown in number since you were a boy, and they wouldn’t be inclined to have a nativity.

“I know, and I don’t want to push my religion on them, but those who claim to be Christians are just as bad.” 

“It’s possible that some of those people can’t afford to put up a big nativity display outdoors.”

“But they seem to be able to afford putting up lights on their houses and an inflatable Santa, Rudolf, or Frosty the Snowman in their yard.  And I’d be willing to bet they don’t have a smaller nativity that they put out where it can be seen in their house for the children to look at either.  They act as if the Christ child is merely an after thought and Santa is the reason for the season.”

“Yes, I agree that some people may act that way.”

“It’s more than just some people.  It’s all about getting gifts, and to a lesser extent about giving them, and the more they receive the happier they are.  Think about it.  The three wise men only gave one gift each to the Christ child, not an entire bag full.  And when I was a child, we often only got one present for Christmas, sometimes maybe two or three, but nothing expensive and not like the quantity of presents people get today.”

“Yes, but that was during the Great Depression and people didn’t have as much money back then.  It all changed after World War 2 and people were better off economically.  I think those parents wanted to do more for their children, because they wish their parents had been able to do that for them when they were young.”

“Possibly, but not everyone acted that way.”

“Even though the economy was booming, some people didn’t do as well as some others.  There were still those that weren’t as well off and couldn’t afford to do those things for their family.  And then there were some like my family that just didn’t want to spoil their children.  They wanted us to remember what Christmas was all about, and it wasn’t about making a haul at Christmas.”

“And I’m sure there were others that were like your family as well.”

“Yes, I’m sure there were a few, but that’s not the case today.  And when I was young, Christmas wasn’t mentioned until after Thanksgiving and nothing much happened until early December, and there was no such thing as Black Friday either.  That didn’t happen until the early 1950s when they began to televise the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.  That’s when Thanksgiving was first used to kick off the Christmas season nationally and they used Santa as a prop so they could sell more items and make more money.  The push to give more expensive presents really began in the 1980s.”

“I can’t argue with you there, since you’ve seen much more than I have.”

“And even though my parents didn’t have a lot of money, they always helped to made sure that the less fortunate were taken care of as well.  They would drop some money in the Salvation Army kettle and they donated to the special collection for the poor at church.  They would also invite relatives and friends that lived alone to have Christmas with us as well, and they’d always buy them a small gift as well.” 

“That was very thoughtful of them to do those things.”

“Nowadays, it seems that too many people are only concerned about themselves and don’t want to help those in need.  Many consider those people as being lazy and freeloaders that don’t deserve help, because they believe those people don’t want to work, but that’s not true in most cases.  It’s just that there are too many people that can barely make enough money to feed their family and possibly put a roof over their heads.”   

“I won’t argue with you about that either, because I know there are people out there that believe what you just said about the poor.  And I know charitable organizations wish people were more generous, and there seems to be more charitable groups all the time.”

 “Jesus didn’t hang out with and preach only to the rich.  In fact, Jesus wasn’t rich himself and the people that followed him were mostly the poor and those just barely scraping out a living.  He even fed the poor and told them that they would reap their rewards in heaven, if they believed in him.” 

“Yes, and there seems to be a greater need for charitable groups now.”

“That’s because too much money goes to those at the top of the various organizations and not enough is paid to the workers at the bottom of the organizational chart.  The companies couldn’t operate without those people, but they’re not paid accordingly, and too often they can’t even afford to support their families.  Pro-lifers want more babies to be born, but they don’t want to help those families to be able to support themselves at a level greater than the poverty level.”

“Yes, there’s a lot of injustice.”

“But there wouldn’t be if people followed Jesus’ teachings.  Remember, Jesus said ‘it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.’ (Matthew 19:24 King James Version)  If people believed in that, then those at the top would be taking less and wouldn’t be stockpiling millions, or even billions, in personal wealth.”

“I’ll definitely concede that point, because some people are stockpiling more money than they would need in 10, 20, or even 100 lifetimes, if not more.

“Yes, they should be taking care of their employees so they wouldn’t have to work two or three jobs just to raise a family.  And women need to make wages equal to those of the men doing the same type of jobs, since there are many single mothers raising families as well.  And a CEO doesn’t need to be earning 600 times the average salary of his employees.  In fact, they shouldn’t be getting more than 200 times the average salary of their employees, and even that might still be pushing it.” 

“You won’t get an argument from me – there’s a lot of injustice out there when it comes to paying workers.”

“And there’s also the way certain groups are treated, like gays and transsexuals, among others.  And that includes the black and brown communities, along with Hispanic, Asian, and Native Americans.”

“I agree that there’s a lot of prejudice in the world, and that applies to many of the non-Christian religions as well.”

“And then there’s the Christmas music.  Unless you go to church in December, you won’t hear the traditional music that honors the birth of Jesus.  Most of the Christmas music you hear in public fails to mention the true meaning behind Christmas.” 

“Yes, I enjoy hearing the songs like Joy to the World, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and O Little Town of Bethlehem.”

“Sure, some of the Christmas music is beautiful on their own merit, like Silver Bells, and some get the joint jumpin’, like Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, and some songs have a back story, such as I’ll be Home for Christmas.  That was written to honor the many service members that were stationed overseas during World War 2 and couldn’t be home with their families for Christmas.  It also served for service members that were stationed overseas during the conflicts that followed, as well.  And White Christmas is also a lovely and very popular song, but how many people that live in the south can truly relate to it?” 

“Yes, people living in the warmer climates wouldn’t have experienced many white Christmases.  They might if they lived in the mountains, grew up in the north, or visited relatives in either of those places around Christmas, but that’s it.”

“Very true, and songs like Baby, It’s Cold Outside, and All I Want for Christmas is You, along with Blue Christmas are more about personal love.  They may even have a sexual connotation to them as well, rather than honoring our savior.”

“I’m not sure that Blue Christmas has a sexual connotation.  In my humble opinion that song is just about how the singer is missing someone he loves at Christmastime.”

“Ok, maybe you’re right about that one, but songs like Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, Dominick the Donkey, and Frosty the Snowman don’t really address the true meaning of Christmas.  They may be fun for the kids, but what do they teach the children?  And don’t get me started on Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer!  God only knows what that teaches the children.”

“Ok, you’ve made your point and I won’t argue with you,” I responded so he wouldn’t go through every Christmas song he ever heard.

“So I say again, what is there to be merry about?”

“We can be merry because we’re celebrating the birth of our savior, and we can also do everything in our power to remind others of that fact as well.” 

“I suppose, although but exactly how?”

“We can start by making sure our loved ones and friends all remember that Christ is ‘the reason for the season’ again, and then encourage them to remind others of that as well.  Maybe then we’d start seeing more about Christ’s birth at Christmastime.  It might also mean you’d see less about Santa Claus and Father Christmas, as well as less about the non-biblical characters that you mentioned earlier.  Not completely, but possibly just not as much.  And if people started to follow Jesus’ example, of ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,’ (Mathew 22:39 KJV), then it might take care of the other problems as well.”

“You’re right and I should be doing more to set an example.  I certainly shouldn’t be complaining if I haven’t done my part.”

“And if all Christians did their part, then maybe things would start to change, but I don’t want people to infringe on the beliefs of other religions to accomplish this.  There’s room enough for all to follow their own customs and beliefs.” 

“I agree that we don’t have to push the others out in order to do this.”

“This would be a good start.  It may not be exactly as you remember from your childhood, but it should become a happy compromise between the two extremes.”

“Then I intend to do my part to try to turn things around by doing all of the positive things that we talked about.”

“And if you don’t mind me asking, are you financially able to get the things you need?  And do you have family to spend the holidays with.”

“I do, but they’ve become as bad as those I’ve alluded to.”

“Then start by reminding them about who is responsible for this holiday, as well as about some of Christ’s teachings.  Maybe they’ll be willing to make some compromises with you too, such as going to church together on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day every year.”

“Oh, they’ve all been raised to know the reason for the season, but I guess it wouldn’t hurt to remind them about a few things.”

“And be upbeat while you’re doing it and don’t be preachy.  Do it by telling stories, such as about your youth or reminding them about things you did together when they were younger.  And if you and your family are able, maybe you could help others that you know about who could use some help.  Maybe that will help you make a difference where they’re concerned.”

“Ok, I’ll give it a try.  And thank you for stopping to talk with me about these things.  And Merry Christmas to you and your family.” 

“Thank you and Merry Christmas to you and your family as well.  And a very Happy New Year!”

“Thank you and Happy New Year to you as well.”

“And if I can ever do anything more for you, just sit on this same park bench, because I walk past here every morning, if I’m not too ill to get out of bed.”

“Ok, I’ll do that,” he agreed, so I continued my walk.  

I’m not saying that every point he made was accurate or that I always agreed with what he said, but due to the way he perceived this, it’s all true to him.  And when it comes to how someone perceives things, it’s very difficult to win an argument with them or get them to change their mind.  I only pray that I may have changed his mind slightly and he’ll have a better Christmas with his family because of what we discussed.  

And Merry Christmas to all of you as well and please don’t forget ‘the reason for the season!’