OK. We all know that our economy is in the dumps and we need to reverse this thing somehow. I have an idea: why don’t we band together and do away with small, meaningless, things that cost money?

Sometimes I notice some things that are meaningless, but I know somebody had to spend some money on it. Maybe Big Brother, I mean the government, should step in and give those businesses/individuals some kind of “you just spent some money on something that doesn’t matter tax.”

Look at this picture:

See that little star-looking thing on the top/left of Kevin Garnett’s uniform (he is the player in the green jersey)?  That is where the NBA logo normally goes and on Christmas they had a snowflake on their uniforms and the logo was on the snowflake.  Now, I know they had to spend money to get the snowflake logo and I would bet some money they didn’t put them on used uniforms.  These jerseys were produced for 8 teams – on a side note, Cleveland and Washington didn’t wear the special jerseys because the Cavaliers wore uniforms that matched LeBron James’ new shoes…really.

What if the money used for this was put in a fund to help people who are struggling in today’s economy?  Would those of us who watch basketball feel like something was missing from the Christmas games?  I think not.

What other ways could money be saved by avoiding meaningless things?

If December 25th is a day you observe as a holiday and spend a ton of money on presents, there is something that came before all this commercial activity.  Right before opening presents, it has always been a family tradition to read the Christmas story.  It may surprise some to know the story has nothing to do with Dr. Seuss or the Grinch. 

I found this version here.

This Christmas story gives a biblical account of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. The Christmas story is paraphrased from the New Testament Books of Matthew and Luke in the Bible.

References:

Matthew 1:18-25; Matthew 2:1-12; Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2:1-20.

The Conception of Jesus Foretold

Mary, a virgin, was living in Galilee of Nazareth and was engaged to be married to Joseph, a Jewish carpenter. An angel visited her and explained to her that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit. She would carry and give birth to this child and she would name him Jesus.

At first Mary was afraid and troubled by the angel’s words. Being a virgin, Mary questioned the angel, “How will this be?” The angel explained that the child would be God’s own Son and, therefore, “nothing is impossible with God.” Humbled and in awe, Mary believed the angel of the Lord and rejoiced in God her Savior.

Surely Mary reflected with wonder on the words found in Isaiah 7:14 foretelling this event, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (NIV)

The Birth of Jesus:

While Mary was still engaged to Joseph, she miraculously became pregnant through the Holy Spirit, as foretold to her by the angel. When Mary told Joseph she was pregnant, he had every right to feel disgraced. He knew the child was not his own, and Mary’s apparent unfaithfulness carried a grave social stigma. Joseph not only had the right to divorce Mary, under Jewish law she could be put to death by stoning.

Although Joseph’s initial reaction was to break the engagement, the appropriate thing for a righteous man to do, he treated Mary with extreme kindness. He did not want to cause her further shame, so he decided to act quietly. But God sent an angel to Joseph in a dream to verify Mary’s story and reassure him that his marriage to her was God’s will. The angel explained that the child within Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit, that his name would be Jesus and that he was the Messiah, God with us.

When Joseph woke from his dream, he willingly obeyed God and took Mary home to be his wife, in spite of the public humiliation he would face. Perhaps this noble quality is one of the reasons God chose him to be the Messiah’s earthly father.

Joseph too must have wondered in awe as he remembered the words found in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (NIV)

At that time, Caesar Augustus decreed that a census be taken, and every person in the entire Roman world had to go to his own town to register. Joseph, being of the line of David, was required to go to Bethlehem to register with Mary. While in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to Jesus. Probably due to the census, the inn was too crowded, and Mary gave birth in a crude stable. She wrapped the baby in cloths and placed him in a manger.

The Shepherd’s Worship the Savior:

Out in the fields, an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds who were tending their flocks of sheep by night. The angel announced that the Savior had been born in the town of David. Suddenly a great host of heavenly beings appeared with the angels and began singing praises to God. As the angelic beings departed, the shepherds decided to travel to Bethlehem and see the Christ-child.

There they found Mary, Joseph and the baby, in the stable. After their visit, they began to spread the word about this amazing child and everything the angel had said about him. They went on their way still praising and glorifying God. But Mary kept quiet, treasuring their words and pondering them in her heart. It must have been beyond her ability to grasp, that sleeping in her arms—the tender child she had just borne—was the Savior of the world.

The Magi Bring Gifts:

After Jesus’ birth, Herod was king of Judea. At this time wise men (Magi) from the east saw a star, they came in search, knowing the star signified the birth of the king of the Jews. The wise men came to the Jewish rulers in Jerusalem and asked where the Christ was to be born. The rulers explained, “In Bethlehem in Judea,” referring to Micah 5:2. Herod secretly met with the Magi and asked them to report back after they had found the child. Herod told the Magi that he too wanted to go and worship the babe. But secretly Herod was plotting to kill the child. So the wise men continued to follow the star in search of the new born king and found Jesus with his mother in Bethlehem. (Most likely Jesus was already two years of age by this time.) They bowed and worshipped him, offering treasures of gold, incense and myrrh. When they left, they did not return to Herod. They had been warned in a dream of his plot to destroy the child.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!  Many people are dreaming of a white Christmas right?  I mean, some people love Christmas time and the snow; I guess Christmas just doesn’t feel the same to them without it.  I’m not one of those people.

I’ve spent many years with snow on Christmas day to include a trip to Indiana 4 years ago with a lot of snow.  I’m getting older and there is just nothing I miss about the cold and snow.  I’m sure there are many people who feel the same way right about now.

Snow storms in various locations across the country have many travelers worried about getting home by road, rail and air.  Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, one of the world’s busiest, canceled about 150 flights Sunday.  Some flights arrived two to three hours late Sunday at New York’s Kennedy Airport and Boston’s Logan Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, though delays decreased later in the evening (on Sunday).

Even fair-weather airports weren’t immune from tie-ups. George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston had delays averaging about five hours, and flights from Atlanta to Boston and New York were also delayed.

I sincerely hope everyone makes it to their intended destination safely for Christmas.  Kim and I have been delayed both on the road and at the airport and we know it isn’t a nice feeling.

If you ask me, this is just another reason to move to the Southwest!