MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

JOY TO THE WORLD! TODAY IS THE ANNIVERSARY OF MY MOST JOYFUL DAY - MY WEDDING. ALSO, THE CHRISTMAS SEASON OF JOY BEGINS. 'TIS THE SEASON TO REJOICE. WHY THE JOIE DE VIVRE? AMERICA. THE ECONOMY IS BOOMING. THE STOCK MARKET REACHES NEW HIGHS. MANUFACTURING , EMPLOYMENT, INVESTING, NEW HOME SALES, RETAIL SALES AND CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS CONTINUE TO INCREASE. MORALE IS - YES, IN PRESENT TENSE - HIGH IN OUR TROOPS AND ON THE HOME FRONT FOR WINNING THE WAR ON TERROR. SING TO THE WONDERFUL WAL-MARTS AND STARBUCKS, TO THE SPORTS' WORLDS OF NASCAR AND HOLLYWOOD AND TO THE WILD WHEELS OF HARLEY-DAVIDSON AND HUMMER. CAROL TO AMERICA'S STANDARDS OF TECHNOLOGY, HEALTHCARE, SOCIAL SERVICES, SAFETY, DIVERSITY AND FREEDOM THAT ARE HIGHER THAN EVER BEFORE IN OUR HISTORY.

I FREQUENTLY HEAR THE REQUEST, "LET'S CELEBRATE THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS." TO WHAT DOES THIS REFER? THE GIFT GIVING, THE FEASTING, THE CHOIRS, THE BAKE SALES, THE CHURCH SERVICES, THE TOYS FOR TOTS, THE FOOD BANKS OR THE SALVATION ARMY BELLS? NO, THE MEASURE OF CHRISTMAS IS MAN!
"WHAT A WORK IS MAN," SHAKESPEARE PENNED. HE PRECEDED ANOTHER WRITER, AYN RAND, WHO WITH A SIMILAR OBSERVATION STATED THAT THE IDEAL MAN IS LIFE'S GREATEST GIFT. MAN IS THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS. THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON CALLS FOR A NOEL TO LIBERTARIANS LIKE AYN RAND, CONSERVATIVES LIKE RONALD REAGAN AND TO LIBERALS LIKE JOHN KERRY. A HYMN TO MANKIND'S GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS IN SPORTS, ARTS AND LETTERS. A HALLELULAH FOR OPTIMISTS AND PESSIMISTS AND A MARANATHA FOR CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS WHO SACRIFICE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR INTEGRITY AND FOR SINNERS LIKE LIBERAL REPRESENTATIVE NANCY PELOSI WHO CALL PRESIDENTIAL INTEGRITY "WARMED OVER STEW. "

WITHOUT A MAN, LIFE WOULD HOLD NO MEANING. AGAIN AYN RAND, AN ATHEISTIC PHILOSOPHER WROTE THAT THE IDEAL LIFE WAS "SIMPLE AND SINCERE AND EVEN NAIVE." WHEREAS THE PHILOSOPHY OF AN ATHEIST LIKE AYN RAND COULD ONLY ALLOW FOR HER IDEAL MAN TO BE MORTAL, THE EPISTEMOLOGY OF A CHRISTIAN - THANK GOD - ALLOWS FOR AN IDEAL JESUS. WHAT COULD HAVE MOTIVATED JESUS, THE IDEAL MAN, TO BECAME MAN IN ORDER TO SAVE MAN IF NOT TO, IN EFFECT, CELEBRATE MAN? FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, LET'S GIVE JOY IN THIS WORLD AT THIS CHRISTMAS TIME FOR MAN REDEEMED.