On Boxing Day

Happy Boxing Day to you!

What? You don't know what Boxing Day is? Well, if you desire to learn more about this holiday, I'll send you over to Wikipedia. However, here's a brief rundown:

Boxing Day is basically a holiday that is based on the tradition of giving to those who are less-fortunate. It is celebrated in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and several other former British countries. However, the holiday has basically been transformed into the foreign version of the American "Black Friday." Particularly in Canada and Australia, retailers open up really early and offer doorbuster prices to the first few people that get there.

This saddens me.

A holiday that once celebrated giving gifts to the poor and needy has now been largely reduced into a giant day of consumerism. Instead of focusing on giving to people that truly need clothing and food, people would rather pour out tons of money on themselves, standing in line for hours and hours just to make sure they get the best deals. Who knows, maybe by standing outside in the snow for 4 hours, they'll have more of a heart for the homeless people who have to do it every night, but I highly doubt it.

It's really a sign of the way people think now. Giving has been replaced by greed. Compassion has been moved out of the way to make room for selfishness.

I think Jesus would celebrate Boxing Day, except that he would probably do it the original way. I doubt he would stand in line so that he could get the best deal on the latest electronic item. Instead, I truly believe that Jesus would be giving what he had to those in need.

So happy Boxing Day! Let's celebrate it how Jesus would.