The Reason for the Season...

Its December once more and this time of year usually tugs at your heart strings and makes a lot of people very sentimental or emotional. And its funny how come they can't even put that kind of value on each and every day of the year.

Why is it that only during Christmas do they even bother putting any weight on the essence of "family" and family "togetherness" but neglect and ignore their spouses and kids all year round? Hypocrites. Bigger families "demand attendance" of each and every family member during family reunions but hardly care about anyone else except themselves all year round.. even bigger hypocrites.

After so many years of seeing this kind of hypocrisy and two-faced relations, I've vowed to keep my Christmases plain and simple, spend it alone if need be than be surrounded by hypocrites on the eve of the so-called "Birth" of the Savior. I find it very stupid to even waste an evening with people who play dual roles - those who pretend to care but don't, those who pretend to be responsible but are not, those who pretend to be good parents but are the worst kind, those who pretend to be Christians but are far far worse than the demons that hound them if they still have the pleasure of having a "conscience".

No, this isn't a "feel good" blog, not today, not this season. I have no quarrel with the "reason for the season" because apparently, its more commercialized than it is spiritual. Its so stressful to those who cannot provide and those who do not have enough and we've forgotten the real reason for the season - the Birth of the Christ Jesus.

We've taken the "season of giving" to a whole new level, or basically - taken it to its most debased level - materialism. That it isn't "Christmas" if you don't receive a gift and you have guilt-trips when you are unable to "give gifts"... plain and stupid.

God gave us His only begotten son, born of a virgin, who suffered and died FOR OUR SINS... the prayer holds the real and true meaning of the season. How many of us can live up to that? Have we even tried? I'm not a perfect person, I can't even imagine giving up my child to save strangers let alone worthless souls I have no relations to. And why should I even bother since I'm old enough to know no one else would do the same for me?

But that's selfishness and it counters the purpose and reason for Christmas which is self-less-ness...

Unfortunately, I am surrounded by those who are supposed to "take care" of me and my children who know nothing of self-lessness and can even lie about his own kids and call them names, drug users, worthless kids as he vilifies and raises his ego so high just for him to escape his own stench. So much for "Christians" pretending to be human beings.

If my children are raised in full view of lies, selfishness, egotistic behaviour, "all-mine mentality" and fooling others into believing otherwise - a snake in wolf's skin pretending to be a sheep - I wonder how my children can even grow up to be self-less human beings who prefer to help others before helping themselves, who prefer to empathize and sympathize with others than be apathetic and numb to their surroundings, to be givers without ever expecting anything in return save for respect and love...

What we give to our children as weapons to strengthen them in life, to make them better human beings, to be strong, courageous, morally upright people - is far better than any gift you can find in some over crowded department store with a warranty of one year. Lessons we keep for life have no warranties. The strength we teach our children does not expire or get worn down with usage. The love we sincerely show them is there for the rest of their lives and not forgotten after the wrappings have been discarded.

Yet some people who call themselves "responsible parents" can only measure their worth as parents on the number of digits and gifts they give, or at times - RELUCTANTLY give their own flesh and blood. And when the children lose their way at times, they are rebuked for all the things they were "given"... that they are made to feel they are not deserving of a proper education, a decent vacation, a movie once and a while, that they don't deserve new stuff, some proper attention...  instead of guiding them as parents ARE SUPPOSED to do... sad.. too much time has been wasted and sometimes it looks like its too late for that anymore.

We are not measured by the number of digits we keep in our bank accounts we hide from our spouse and children. We are measured by the RESULTS and who is loved and preferred more.. yes, it has boiled down to that - a popularity contest. We are measured by the attention we give and not the number of days we are IN the house but mentally and spiritually out of it being cooped up in the bedroom doing nothing but watch stupid DVDs instead of tutoring a small child. Childhood memories are NOT available in any department store. They are made and children are not the authors of their childhood, PARENTS ARE.

What we are as parents is the best .. or the worst thing we can give our children this season for every year that passes by and when your children begin to be reluctant attendees to family reunions - it isn't their fault - its yours as a parent. What our children become is a clear result of our being parents and one parent cannot handle everything if the other parent is still around to mess up everything. No one parent can be blamed for everything wrong or right - it took two people to make a child, same goes when things go wrong or right and when one person can't admit to a fault - I wonder who the children would look up to in the end.

There is no such thing as "me, mine or I" as a parent. Those who say that are lame excuses for a person pretending to be a human being. Parents who say that to their spouses and children have no excuse to be called a "responsible parent"... the only thing they're responsible for is for all the negative things that happen in a family. Because people like that will always blame the other spouse even their own children for all the things that go wrong without even admitting they had anything to do with it... such parents should not even be allowed to have kids. When one parent "hides" the things his children should have and deserves to have but DEPRIVES them of such - is there even enough words in the dictionary to describe such a person, let alone a parent?

So much for the season for giving....