Many of us can remember when Christmas was a very simply observed religious holiday. Pageants depicting the birth of Jesus, the singing of carols, the Christmas tree, and a simple exchange of gifts characterized the festivities.
Through the years there has been a gradual tendency to materialize the occasion until today commercialization, high-pressure advertising, and merchandising have largely become the master of ceremonies, the real significance of Christmas becoming more and more obscure. Many seem to give no heed to it at all.
Consider what Jesus would think if he were on earth today and saw how people are celebrating the single event that has done most to forward the spiritual progress of mankind. One might well consider that he whipped the money changers out of the temple and rebuked the materialism that sought to use the house of God as a commercial center.
