American humorist Kin Hubbard (1868 – 1930) once observed “Next to a circus there ain’t nothing that packs up and tears out faster than the Christmas spirit.” Unfortunately many of us have experienced this first hand. By the time Christmas Day arrives we are so tired and burned out that Christmas seems anti-climactic and devoid of much of the joy that is supposed to be associated with the season; Peace and Goodwill seem hard to find.
Part of the reason for this is due to the modern secular marketing hype of the season, which largely omits the relationship and observance of the traditional Christian liturgical seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. [Read more…]
The following offers a little perspective about the origin and religious roots of Thanksgiving. Often we associate the Pilgrims with the tradition of Thanksgiving in America, but Thanksgiving as we know it today did not start until much later in America’s history, and it took a woman and two U. S. Presidents to create this uniquely American holiday.