There is always a lot of talk about the ‘War on Christmas’ and let me express, I think there is one, but it does not come from the lone voices who prefer to say ‘Happy Holidays’ over ‘Merry Christmas;’ it is the corporate greed that keeps many families from enjoying the holidays with all of their loved ones.

More stores are either open on the holiday itself or they open so early after the holiday that none of those people working at the retail location can even sniff the turkey or unwrap a present before rushing out to barter with people who might knock you out over a toaster or trample you as they rush to get these one-of-a-kind bargains, that have actually caused injury and/or loss of life.

All you have to do is type ‘Black Friday’ into Google or YouTube and you will be assaulted by numerous articles and videos that describe scenes that seem straight out of a post apocalyptic film where all the food and water have run out.

The basis of the holidays, without getting into a debate about history or religion, is to love your fellow human beings and foster a brotherhood of kindness, not trample over people as if your life depended on worthless baubles that are usually no lower priced then most days the store is operating, bar those two or three ridiculously low priced wares that they have a very limited supply of to draw you in.

In October I turned forty years of age and it seems that at certain points, regardless of how young at heart you are or how progressively you think, the world seems to take on a different hue at that point, as if the world has shifted just enough to make the changes stand out.

We always recall a simpler time, which, although it was never as simple as it seemed, and the properties of childhood and youth play a part, there is an undeniable feeling that the greed at this time of year is moving upwards, while the specialness of the holidays seems to be washed away in consumerism.

Personally, for the last five years I have been alone every holiday or birthday, which may sound depressing but I stated it to make a point: How can someone who does not even get all the baubles and roast beast dinners grasp the concept of the season better than those who have the trappings of the holidays in abundance?

In my opinion, it is the fact that the very message of Christ, regardless of personal belief, was all about being humble and loving all around you. Thing is, even Jesus understood the dangers of greed and the money changers being in the temple.

So I have a strong desire to flip those tables over when I see things like one video, where a woman almost knocks over a toddler age child while attempting to pry whatever rare [sic] commodity the child had in her hands.

So there is indeed a war on for the values of the holiday season that we have come to know in the West, but I think most people might be fighting on the wrong fronts. Time to recall the true meaning and not just while watching Dickens’ A Christmas Carole.