"I'm just glad it's over..."

Almost without fail, when I ask people if they had a good Christmas the response I get is "I'm just glad it's over!" Really? Talk about your "protestant-creep" into what should otherwise be one of the most blessed times of the year......well, for a Christian anyway. Maybe that's where I've went wrong, or so some sources would have me believe.

Allow me to go on, dear reader, if only just for a quick rant.

Now, we all know the basic premise, or we should, that Christmas is not really about gifts. Right? I mean, we can say it's about giving, but not necessarily of material gifts per se. The gifts are more or less (sadly, more often less) an extension of the act of self-giving that the Christian life requires of us, but have been twisted and turned and wrapped with paper and ribbon and festooned with lights until our fingers bleed from paper cuts and our eyes are dazzled numb.

I'll keep saying this at least until one person gets it, and then I'll go for another, but this attitude of "I'm glad it's over" is American in general and Protestant in particular. Do I loathe America? Far from it. But we have our faults. Do I hold contempt for Protestants? Not at all, used to be one in fact. However, America and Protestantism are intertwined like peanut butter and jelly. It's just historical fact. That's not to say that it's ALL Protestant, but generally speaking, our culture is. Hence, the almost audible sigh of relief around mid-morning Christmas day when all the presents are opened and "Whew.....thank God that's over" sounds across the hills.

Here's the problem on two levels: 1) our culture being mainly Protestant there is a general lack of knowledge that the Christmas season does not start on Black Friday and end on Christmas day; and 2) because of this culture we have lost (and in some cases, never had to begin with) the "effect" that Christmas should bring.

So why the fuss? Well, I'll answer that question with a question: Why be glad it's over? I know, I know....it's the hustle and bustle....get the perfect gift....blah blah blah. The answer, in a nutshell, is that we don't have the Christmas "season". Why? Well......where do you want me to start? Seriously. How about the nugget that our forefathers (some of the earliest ones) banned Christmas in this country? And we can't blame them since their forefathers did away with celebrating almost all, if not all depending on who you asked at the time, Christian holidays (read holy-days). Ultimately, the problem lies with the break in Protestantism.....and Christmas (the word being a conjunction for Mass celebrated on Christ's day and shortened to Christ's Mass or Christmas...same as Michaelmas or any of a number of other examples) was considered a "Catholic" holiday (and we'll gladly take responsibility). Just another day among Her throng of "meaningless" days those crazy Catholics celebrate not knowing they don't have to anymore; according to our forefather's particular ideology, anyway.

Hate to break the news to you (I want to say when I hear that line that started this post), but Christmas just got started. The twelve days of Christmas? Yeah, just started Christmas day, not on the 13th of December. Know what that little jingle is about? If not, look it up. But the point is that in our Protestant culture, there's no room for Advent, or awaiting the coming of our Savior. Oh, sure...we say there is...we will tell you all day there is. The facts prove otherwise. No Advent = no Advent. Period. And since we don't have Advent, we have replaced it with Ads-vent; we wait for the coming of our circulars and Black Friday-sales-ads as thick as Holy Writ itself, malls that smell of pretzels and sweat and completely lose Christ until we are reminded the Sunday before Christmas. Oh I know...He's back there somewhere....loose....floating around....it's the whole reason for the season....oh there's a manger, that's pretty.....now do I get the black or brown scarf???? SO MANY CHOICES!!!!!!

Christmas Season begins on Christmas Day. Christmas Season ends twelve days later, on the eve of Epiphany (the revelation of the God-Man, God in human form), the day of commemoration of the Magi encountering the Christ child, a symbol of the revelation to the Gentiles. Advent season calls us towards Christmas, towards repentance, and towards anticipation of the coming of our Savior. Christmas season is our very own Epiphany, if you will. Shall we be glad already that the miraculous birth is over and life can get back to normal?

In our culture, the answer is sadly "Yes." It's the domino-effect in perfect example: first domino is to do away with the Church, the next domino is do away with all things connected to her, and that most certainly includes the celebration of feast days. Oh, uh, well, with the exception of Christmas (sometimes) and Easter (sometimes), of course. Yes, let's keep those....they seem somehow more important than the others; and they are. What's troubling to me is ALL the rest where deemed "unimportant"..............odd. So some days that celebrate Christ (like Christmas and Easter) or members of his body (like St. Patrick or St. Columbus) are good, but others (like mmm.....say the Feast of Corpus Christi or St. Stephen the first Martyr or the Feast of the Holy Family) are bad and too "Catholic?" Am I the only one who sees a blatant discrepancy here?

Dear Reader, my point is this: when we have come to the point that we are glad "it" is over, it might just be high time we rediscover (or discover as the case may be) what "it" is we are glad to see come to a close. I sometimes go on a rant about issues such as these, and I am appreciative of your forgiveness. After all, it is your humbleness that allows me, a "Christian" Catholic (as though there were another type) to rant about a day and a season that our forefathers deemed un-Christian in the least, and damnable Catholic hocus-pocus at worse. For that label, I will forever be grateful.

And now that I think about it, maybe I'm being a little impatient. Forgive me. You'll see a much more patient Ophelimos on the ninth day of Christmas, when those Nine ladies are dancing.

Look it up dear reader........look it up.

Pax Christi.