Maxgrace.com on The Christmas Police

Bill Giovannetti's recent post, The Christmas Police, is worth a read. My very first post on this blog was regarding the same issue. People in this country are taking things way too far and far too out of proportion. Bill takes the logic of the Christmas police down a path that, for the sake of consistency, the Christmas police would necessarily have to follow. He demonstrates their ludicrous reasoning quite well as he follows through with the logic. Read Bill's post; it's good--and the pictures are hilarious.

It's 2:00 AM on Christmas Day

Due to late-night shifts at work, my sleep cycle has been disrupted.

It's 2:00 AM on Christmas Day and I am very much wide awake.

So, instead of laying down aimlessly in bed without any chance of shut-eye, I thought it would be better to use my time to reflect on a few lessons I have learned during this holiday season.

1) Make it your choice to rejoice.

Look, when it all comes down to it, we all have a mission at work. We have to get the job done, yes, and we have to satisfy our customers, true, but we also, whether Christian or not, need to connect with the people that come into contact with us while at work. By this I mean lending a listening ear to customers and co-workers; cheering up a bitter ol' soul with some laughter; swallowing one's pride with a rude customer; enjoying some closing music with co-workers; or even having a delightful voice when answering the phones. It is important to make it your choice to rejoice while at work, because believe it or not your attitude affects everyone around you. Our mission, then, is to make it our choice to rejoice while at work so that we can leave a positive impact on anyone and everyone who comes into contact with us during that eight hour period. Connect with your customers--let them know that they are more than just a purchase of service and/or goods by asking them simple questions and hopefully get them to brighten up just a little bit more than when they came in to the work place. Connect with your co-workers--let them know that they are more than just help for the job by allowing them to talk to you at an appropriate level and getting to know them a little bit more each time you work with them so that it makes the job experience more enjoyable. Fulfill your mission; rejoice and be a blessing.

2) Let your pride fall.

Look, we are prideful people, but we need to learn to let it go. If you are ever in a situation where you are just browsing at a store and an employee comes up to you offering his or her assistance, don't just shut them down and out, but be kind and polite about needing or not needing their service. Employees just want to help. Whether they have to or not, I guarantee the last thing they want to be is a pest. Be gracious to them. They have a job to do and that is to provide kind and helpful service to customers. Don't bite their heads off. If you don't need their help, then tell them kindly and respectfully. Sometimes they won't even come up to you to offer assistance; rather, they will simply try to start up some small-talk. Give employees the decency they deserve and don't walk all over them as if they are some sort of doormat to tread all over. Let go of your pride and allow people to help you, or let go of your pride and be kind and gracious when you don't need anyone else's help.

3) Remember Christ

Look, Christmas is a time to recall to mind God who came down to earth and shared in humanity by living as a human--Jesus Christ. Christmas is all about Christ. It is not about X. It is not about gifts. It is about a God who loves His creation so much that he would be willing to come to earth and know what it is like to be a human only to sacrifice His life for those He loves. It is about a God who gives us the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus came to earth and made possible freedom from sin and death. This is what Christmas is all about. Remember Christ. He is the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas.

Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas

Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas

I like the phrase, "Merry Christmas."

However, I do not impose this on other people who may or may not prefer it.

This is an issue of one's own opinion.
What is one's opinion is still one's own opinion.
It should not be forced upon others.

If you prefer one over the other, then hold to that, but do not try to make others see things the way you do or say the same things you do or do everything that you are doing.

Do not impose your opinions on others.

With that said:
Merry Christmas!