I was not planning to write about Christmas this early--not before Thanksgiving at least. But then I listened to the news today. I thought to myself, it's about time to start the Christmas season--even if it's a little too early. If Wal-Mart aisles and Starbucks cups could trigger the Christmas conversation, why not this?
We often hear about the declared war on Christmas every year ... especially around the time the words "peace on earth and good will to men" echo in our malls. Then we hear about a little town somewhere in Iowa that removed the nativity scene from their government building, and we go berserk. The judgmental tones about using "Xmas" instead of "Christmas" would light up the room.
I'm not even talking about the latest blasphemous act by Starbucks for removing the "spirit" of Christmas from their cups ... snowflakes. How dare you, Starbucks!
Of course, the media would make those stories very personal to you and me. The outraged ME would take it to social media and complain about those liberals declaring war--jihad of some sort--on our traditional values--our Christmas. I will take the liberty of social media to say that our nation is in decline morally and spiritually and point the finger toward those who are "responsible" for this decline.
Here comes December 25th! I have done all my shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I'm good to go. I have wrapped my gifts and placed them under an enormous tree in the corner. Then comes the real Christmas ... I sit and tell my children about the story in that good book.
I tell them about a king (dictator) who ordered people to move unwillingly so he would know how to tax them. I tell them about those wise men who came from the East--East of the Middle East and therefore foreigners. I tell my kids that the birthplace happens to be in the Middle East--that far, far land we stay away from. While this particular family was moving from Nazareth to Bethlehem, they needed a place to lay their heads and for Mary to have her child. The stingy innkeeper, we tell our kids, was so mean to that family that they had to stay at the stable for the night--with those stinky animals.
Guess what? That's where Jesus was born--the stable, we tell our children. Can you imagine? The innkeepers were so ridiculous and self-centered that they ignored the needs of Mary. They refused to take her in. How shameful of those people--those innkeepers! Didn't they notice that Mary was nine months pregnant? I guess not.
Then we talk about the "Good Samaritan" and those religious folks who cared not for the wounded. We heard about the Good Samaritan so many times that we don't even understand the story anymore.
Of course, a seasoning of beatitudes would not hurt anything, we tell ourselves. Those are all in red letters and good for our soul. Blessed be the merciful, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek, blessed ... blessed ... blessed.
Now when you think of Mary and Joseph knocking on the door of the inn, think of the Syrian refugees. When you think of the innkeeper, think of those who refuse refugees in their states. And when you think of the possible bad guy in the middle of these refugees, well, think of Judas Iscariot who forever disdained the good names of all other disciples.
And oh, there is that reference that I was hungry, thirsty, refugee, sick and in prison and you didn't do anything.
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Khalid Ahmadzai is an Afghan American Master's of Public Service candidate at the Clinton School of Public Service. He obtained his B.A. in International Relations and Middle East Studies from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Editorial on 11/20/2015