A Christmas lesson from The Grinch and Charlie Brown.

Supposedly we're not suppose to be happy this Christmas; After all, we are in a recession. How can we be happy when holiday spending is at its lowest point in years, and multi-billion dollar companies are failing? What is there to be happy about? Personally, I'd say there is plenty to be smiling about. While a lot of the media coverage has gotten me bogged down too, these times have forced me to ask myself, "Is it possible that we have gotten our priorities a little backwards?" Maybe these times shouldn't bog us down so much. I do wish things were better. After all, I like spending money during Christmas. I enjoy Santa Claus and Rudolph and eggnog and all that stuff. I'm not being a downer on consumerism; consumerism has made this country great. But right now the U.S. is feeling an economical pinch, and I say, "So what". I feel like it is safe to say that most of us have felt the effects of a struggling economy. We are told that if large banks and other corporations (i.e. The Big 3) fail, the economy will plummet, but I just don't buy it. In the short term this may be true, but big government spending now will certainly equate into larger troubles later. So what do we do to cope?
Certainly we remember a mischievous Dr. Seuss character named The Grinch. The Grinch reminds me a little bit of the media's constant Christmas doom and gloom coverage we've been hearing lately due to the tough economy. He assumes that The Whos rely solely on presents, treats, decorations, and other commercial goods for their happiness. Due to his bitterness towards The Whos, he decides to ruin Christmas by stealing all the Christmas goods from Whoville. There was only one problem with The Grinch's plan...No one can ruin Christmas. The Whos did not need those things to enjoy Christmas, Christmas came nonetheless.
Maybe "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is what we need to keep our spirits up. Charlie Brown learned the true meaning of Christmas from Luke 2: 8-14. He came to understand that the birth of "a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" is why we celebrate Christmas, and this was a comfort to him. Charlie Brown didn't care about retail spending figures; nor did he care about the stock exchange. Charlie Brown learned that day that a Saviour came into the world to wash away our sins, and that was enough for him. Its enough for me too.
As one who once payed attention to a lot of the junk going on, I have had enough. I won't allow it to bring me down anymore. This is one year we're just gonna have to follow The Whos' example and make a circle while holding hands and singing. Merry Christmas everyone!