The True Meaning of CHRISTmas

Christmas is undoubtedly the most wonderful time of year. All of the lights, trees and decorations make us feel warm and fuzzy even when the weather outside is "frightful". But if we ask ourselves what comes to mind when we hear the word Christmas, most of us won't be thinking about Jesus, the Nativity or even the Bible. These images have been substituted with Santa, reindeer and toys under a lighted tree.

No one can dispute that the origin of the holiday is from the Christian church. Despite the Bible's lack of reserving a day for commemorating the birth of our Lord, December 25 was marked as the official date in the Roman calendar back in the 4th century.

Like any other important holiday, traditions were established. When Christmas was freshly instituted as a holiday, feasts and plays were a huge part of the festivities. These traditions are still upheld today. Decorating a tree was started during the 1600's in Germany. German immigrants brought over the tradition during the 1700's and now this phenomena is primarily practiced in North America and Western Europe. Gift-giving was demonstrated in the New Testament, when the Three Wise Men brought precious gifts to the newborn Savior. This is now the primary custom of Christmas. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, was an ancient Catholic saint who left a legacy of generosity and love. His legacy slowly evolved and eventually he became an all-knowing, jolly, sleigh-riding man named Santa Claus who lives in the North Pole with an army of elves who work tirelessly throughout the year to fulfill the wishes of "good" children around the world.

With so many secular customs distracting the majority from the true meaning of Christmas, it's inevitable that the religious aspects will lose significance. Many Christians, myself included, have become disappointed to see how secularized a once religious holiday can become. With 60% to 76% of Americans identifying themselves as Christians, it's interesting to see how easily influenced the nation can become due to a lack of strong faith.

Cain Cracks Under Pressure

As we all know, Herman Cain has been under fire over the past few weeks for the loads of harassment and adultery allegations that five separate women have brought against him. Amidst all this pressure, Cain has decided to suspend his Presidential Campaign, making the official announcement yesterday.

Personally, this whole ordeal reminded me of the struggle for those accused of witchcraft in The Crucible. From the very start of this scandal, the media sided with the three sketchy, unidentified women who accused Mr. Cain of harassment, sexual assault and sending provocative emails/texts.When two more women came forward (who chose to unveil their identities), only a few news outlets immediately took the time to conduct background checks. The outlets that did found long histories of legal troubles, bankruptcy filings and eviction notices from the two women who have released their identities.

Now, I am in no way defending Mr. Cain because he still suspended his campaign, which strongly suggests that there must have been some monkey business going on between him and at least one of these women. The point that I am trying to make is that the media jumped to conclusions without looking at both sides of the story. This goes to show that Americans haven't progressed much since 1692 Salem. Proctor said: "Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God’s fingers?". Instead of referencing Pokemón, maybe Cain should have used some of Proctor's lines to defend himself.