While all these stories are great, and while I like that the Scrooge type character is always reformed and learns to love and honor Christmas, there is one thing lacking in all of these tales. While they talk of the need to give, to share, and to help others, especially at Christmas time (very worthy goals!), they never mention what Christmas is supposed to be about which is the birth of the Christ spirit in the man Jesus and the need to follow his teachings to achieve spiritual enlightenment. Jesus and his apostles didn't wander around handing out gifts to poor people, they preached on how to save there souls. That is what was important to Jesus and his followers. It is what was important to Buddha, Zoroaster, Moses and Quetzalcoatl as well.

    For many centuries, Christians celebrated twelve days of Christmas with the last day, January 6^th, Epiphany, being the most important rather than the first day of Christmas on December 25^th. Most churches and most Christians do not do that any more. If there is a Twelve Days of Christmas or a Twenty Five Days of Christmas, it ends on December 25^th and is usually about some great Christmas sale or a Christmas movie marathon.

    Christmas is a wonderful holiday and holy day, but we need to get to it being a day about Christ and spirituality rather than a day about presents and feeding the needy.