The meaning of Christmas
As requested, here is an updated B2J Christmas post that appeared in 2005. It is as relevant today as it was then:
Perhaps the best explanation of Christmas came not from a pulpit, cathedral, or religious tome but from a simple, gentle man who loved to teach children using his very special gift.
Throughout his life, Charles M. Schulz gave credit to God for his ability to draw and his affinity for making children happy. He used his talent and his Peanuts characters to convey stories of caring, love, and goodness to untold millions, perhaps billions, of children and adults across the globe.
He conveyed the spirit and meaning of Christmas while at the same time chastising the holiday's commercialization with his 1965 classic A Charlie Brown Christmas (view the entire video). He did so simply, with wholesome humor, yet with reverence for his faith.
Schulz, a World War II combat veteran, wove spiritual themes into his stories. He often mentioned in personal interviews that his Peanuts character Linus van Pelt represented his spiritual side.
All parents, of all faiths, should allow their children to view this humble man's Christmas classic. It is inoffensive to other faiths and the lesson it teaches is powerful indeed, especially the Apostle Luke's missive as spoken by Linus:
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
There simply cannot exist a clearer, more elegant Christmas revelation.
And of this, author William Turner Ellis observed that it is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. It appears that Theodor Seuss Geisel agreed:
And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.
Whatever else you give to your children and your loved ones this Christmas, give them the gift of this message.
Hype and Chains Merry Christmas to all.