Merry Holidays?

I woke up this morning to a magical winter wonderland. Thankfully, this wonderland had delayed garbage pickup and gave me a chance to take out the trash!

But this was no ordinary trash pickup. This was Christmas trash pickup and included bags filled with boxes, pretty wrapping, sticky bows and unnecessary ribbons.

So then I started thinking about the “keep Christ in Christmas” message I would occasionally see on the days leading up to Christmas. I would usually see this at Church entrances. But why?
Is this because the phrase “Happy Holidays” is replacing “Merry Christmas? (I must admit that I too have used “Happy Holidays” in certain things I publish since it appeals to a mass audience. Let’s face it; whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah or Kwanzaa, it’s still a holiday, right?)

Or is this a “too much commercialism” thing? Are Churches upset that we are spending too much time looking down at our mobile devices and not enough time looking for God?
But who is to blame for this trend? Should we blame the corporations for their successful marketing strategies? Are their campaigns TOO aggressive? Do we have a chance to say “no, thanks” to their products?

I went to the mall before Christmas and saw an over-the-top presentation for the Droid device – complete with an altar and tabernacle. Verizon is clearly spending some big bucks on ads and cardboard cutouts and the public is quick to give their money (not just for the phone, but for the service!).

I don’t know. Maybe I’m out of touch. Maybe I have different priorities. I know there are people out there that will go without food before they go without mobile internet. What’s going on here?

Maybe I’ll throw out my new GPS next week. Then again, it’s soooooo cool.