christmas.

the season of love and gifts?

chelsea told me that christmas has become a commercial festival - nothing personal, just business.

single people who have nothing to do on christmas eve cry "desperate!"

single people who have things to do mostly go partying, (ironically) wear devil headbands, and spray each other with foam. 

couples buy each other gifts like it's their anniversary.

families prepare great feasts like it's a celebration of their birth.

let me tell you a story John Timmer told me of a strange land. 

This is a place where people do everything the opposite way. 

Here, people first are old, then grow young. 

Here, people first exhale before they inhale.

Here, children go to school at night and sleep during the day.

Here, people walk backward.

One day, it was Tom's birthday. He invited all his friends to his birthday party. They all brought presents. But because they lived in this strange land, they didn't give Tom these presents, but exchanged presents with each other. 

Everybody got a present, everybody except Tom. 

He didn't get any.

This made Tom mad, real mad, so mad that he climbed on top of the piano and shouted, "QUIET EVERYBODY!" And when everybody was quiet, Tom said, 

"You've all come to my birthday party. You've all brought a present. You've all received a present. I'm the only one who hasn't received a present. Whose birthday is it anyway? Yours or mine?"

and john timmer said:

"that sounds a lot like the way most people celebrate Jesus' birthday, doesn't it? at christmas, these people exchange presents with each other. but what about Jesus? what present does He get? whose birthday is it anyway?"

whose birthday is it anyway?