Monday, December 8, 2008

Finals Woes turned Christmas Rant

I have a confession to make, it is my sophomore year of college and I've never really learned how to study. Thankfully this has never been a problem in the past but now that I look around and everybody else seems to be studying, I'm thinking I should probably start.
Maybe it's a motivation issue...or possibly a laziness issue. I think I can pin it on the fact that I don't really know how to study for an English exam. French is a little more clear cut but seriously, I am way behind the power curve (like the power curve is at the front of the line at Walmart on Black Friday and I'm hovering in the parking lot somewhere waiting for the madness to be over).

Speaking of Walmart, Christmas shopping anyone? The whole concept makes me frustrated anyway. I think Jake would second me on this: the world has kidnapped Christmas and perverted it into some "holiday" excuse to get stuff. I shouldn't be surprised; the very nature of the world is evil and perversive.
Santa has become some sort of icon of generosity and selflessness and in a sense, has replaced the one who gave up the kingdom of heaven to come give His life for a bunch of undeserving shmucks! He became one of us (though He is God at the same time) and accepted all our human limitations like the fact that we don't just pop out the ground like a bunch of daisies; we have to grow into adulthood. He did that! His cradle was a lowly food trough for animals in a stable in a city in the middle of nowhere! The "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6) has been replaced on the fronts of greeting cards by a jolly old man who did live a pretty selfless life, relatively speaking. All I have to say here is, (as Sam so delicately put it) what the crap?!

Even the name, Christmas, is being replaced by euphemisms such as "holiday celebration" or "winter festival" or "kwanzaa"(which, in my opinion, is a made up holiday). For the sake of brevity, it is called "x-mas." This last one offends me probably more than any of the others. I've been told (by an intellectual no less) that the x does have some significance in the Greek language in that it means Christ but no one outside of the scholarly community is going to know this. The world has put a large red x over my Savior.

So that I don't appear to be too much of a wet blanket or according to the season, a scrooge, I shall participate in the festivities but I needed to get this rant out before it lands on the next person who asks me what I want for Christmas. Just, please, don't ask me to listen to "Jingle Bell Rock" with you, I might have a stroke.

3 comments:

Katie said...

When reading your blog, I realized that when rearranged, Santa spells Satan. Do i personally think Santa is Satan? no. just sayin'. Have a jolly holiday!

Gillian said...

Oh how I love your post and especially love Katie's satan comment. I couldn't agree more about learning to study and I am senior...

I can see why you are an English major claire-you have quite a flair for writing.

Sarah said...

I am way impressed how you turned from finals to Christmas, though I guess the title gave it away.

My family completely agrees with your view on Christmas. They actually don't even really do all that much for it in protest. That's why I'm glad I married into a honking rich family! (I may be a Christian, but I am inherently materialistic.)