What Makes A "Good" Christmas?

Ben Stein Says It's Not What Under Your Tree But What's In Your Heart

(CBS)  Just nine shopping days to Christmas? Our contributor Ben Stein doesn't think that's a good way to count down, or to THINK, about the holiday.

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I keep seeing in the newspapers that it might not be a "good" Christmas because while visits to stores are up, purchases per visit are down very slightly.

There is also some fear that it might not be a "good" holiday season because fears about the housing correction will scare shoppers into keeping their wallets zipped.

I'm fascinated by this, because I have looked through a Concordance of the Old and New Testaments and I do not find the word "shopping" even once.

I'm not sure when the idea got to be dominant that a "good" Christmas was about total spending, but here respectfully are some alternative suggestions:

Maybe a good Christmas for this most blessed of nations would be when we as a nation and as communities made sure the homeless had a warm, safe place to sleep.

Maybe a good Christmas would not be about buying your kids the latest gizmo for listening to obscene lyrics, but about teaching them that if they are fortunate enough to have extra time or extra money, they can help out at the old age home or at the local animal shelter.

Maybe a good time would not be buying your parents sweaters they will never use, but taking a trip to see them and telling them how much you appreciate that they spent the heart of their lives taking care of you, feeding you, teaching you, putting a roof over your head, warming you with their love and concern.

Maybe the best time of all would be telling your husband or your wife or love partner that you would be lost without him or her and that you're sorry for the selfish things you did that year, and you'll be better next year.

Christmas and Hanukah presents rarely fit and rarely are to your taste. They sit in your closet and collect dust forever.

But gifts in this special, sacred time of love and caring to your family, your friends, and your neighborhood - those are never forgotten. They bring peace of mind for years.

And I seem to recall from my vanished youth that this is the holiday of the prince of peace, not the queen of diamonds.

[michellem99-2009]

This is what Christmas is to me talking to my senior by phone.Having a simple meal..Being grateful for what I have. Sending out cards. Being with my long time friend and room mate. Yaking with ye. I don''t care about gifts. It is better give than get. Yer give of ye when we all yak on this here board. Thank ye and peace of Christ be with ye..

[logicanada]

Amen, Mr. Stein. ...and Merry Christmas to all.

[lbudzin]

Thank you, Mr. Stein. I may not always agree with your commentaries but definitely agree wholeheartedly with this one. May you and yours have a blessed Holiday Season!

[lbudzin]

Thank you, Mr. Stein. I may not always agree with your commentaries but truly agree with this one. May your and yours have a blessed holiday season. It''s comforting to know that there are those out there who have not lost sight of the real meaning of this holiday season.

[quatrops]

55 comments so far. About 50 of them offer absolutely NO reflection on what Stein had to say. They are, instead, pro and con arguments about whether or not it is appropriate for a Jew to be commenting on what Christmas has become in Western culture and what might be a healthy alternative.

How awesomely sad that is !

Do ANY of you disagree that what Stein had to say was absolutely on target and offered some nourishing insight into contemporary culture?

My Christ (a Jew, by the way) would be saddened by what the celebration of his nominal birthday has become. But I believe His sadness at that would pale in comparison to that which He would feel about the bigotry extant in complaints about the religious identity of the author.

His message was about love, acceptance, and tolerance; not the hate underlying the message of you complainers.

[johenk]

WAY TO GO BEN! IF ONLY MORE PEOPLE WOULD THINK LIKE YOU DO - CHRISTIAN, JEWISH OR WHATEVER RELIGION YOU ARE (I AM CHRISTIAN).

THIS IS A HOLY TIME FOR ALL TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER NOT KILL EACH OTHER.

COME ON PEOPLE, WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES!

[lajones06]

For some Christians, Christmas is less about Jesus and more about the reason to spend. You do not have to be a Christian to understand the meaning of the day. Jesus was not born a Christian, he was born a Jew. Be with family and friends and enjoy the holidays.

[shadowseraph]

Christmas is a Christian holday, but when we forget its meaning, so does everyone else. If we remembered whose b-day it was a little better, we might have a significantly less commercialized view of it, and we might start doing the things that Mr. Stein has suggested. Jesus would like that. God bless you, sir.

[lajones06]

the e-mails about ben stein being jewish and that he not comment on anything christmas is ridiculous. they are proving his point more than ever. is there really an argument for going into debt and spending until we have absolutely everything we want? the true meaning of this time of year transcends religion, or should, and does not belong exclusively to christians or people with a lot of money. those who are without means may have a good christmas if they have love in their hearts much more so that a wealthy family and two new matching cars. if christmas is just about the gifts, then why wait until december 25th? i also hope that the families celebrating the jewish holidays are spent with the true meaning in mind.

[krenz4]

Christmas at my mom''s house used to be a competition to see who could give, or get the most extravagent, costly gifts, until one year, my baby sister lost her husband (divorce) her house (bankruptcy, because of divorce) and her job (economy). She and her children were doing pretty bad.Since she had not gotten back on her feet by the following Christmas, we all toned down the extravagant spending so she and her kids wouldnt feel bad, so instead of buying expensive things we just spent time together with our neices, nephews, spouses and parents, talking, laughing, telling our children about the old days and getting to know one another again. That was some years ago. My sister is back on her feet, bought herself and her kids a new home and is engaged to be married. But we still, (though we can all afford to splurge at Christmas) Spend little or nothing at Christmas. Instead, we have a new traditon an it goes for our children too; We have a 10.00 secret santa exchange and let the homecoming party begin! Thats how we learned what Christmas is all about.

[rushlimpdrug]

I, like the author, am Jewish. But I would never be so presumptuous as he is and describe what a good Xmas would be LOL. Maybe CBS can get a priest to write about what a good Chanukah would be too LMAO.
Posted by gopsux at 08:07 AM

I thought something similar.
Arrogance to talk about how another religion is doing it all wrong.
It would be great if CBS had a Muslim/Islamist talk about how Jews are not properly celebrating Chanukah.
I also saw Ben Stein''s game show once and it was pathetically stupid.
Every time I see Ben''s photo he half possum half moose.

[eggy1620]

This past weekend I witnessed exactly what Ben is speaking about. My family%u2019s Christmas together used to be low stress, inexpensive, and involve mass. Now it%u2019s conusmer porn. An annual competition between siblings to get your house to look like the photos in the high end interior design magazines. Who can cook the most expensive food. Who can hire the best caterer. Who gets the kids the best gifts. Debates between stay at home moms over how much to tip the maid for the holiday. This year%u2019s addition to family Christmas: a professional Santa. The frivolity only grows.

[lajones06]

you do not have to belong to any religion to see what is happening to our culture regarding greed and apathy. ben stein is right, we have lost the meaning of what we celebrate. it is not about material objects. it is a spirit that we have in all of us that has been lost for whatever reason. whether you are a jew or christian or muslim, we should all, as humans, reach out to one another and not be concerned with the profit margin determining a good or bad christmas. for those of you that do not get his meaning, you are part of the problem and can''t see that you have sold your soul.

[lajones06]

you do not have to belong to any religion to see what is happening to our culture regarding greed and apathy. ben stein is right, we have lost the meaning of what we celebrate. it is not about material objects. it is a spirit that we have in all of us that has been lost for whatever reason. whether you are a jew or christian or muslim, we should all, as humans, reach out to one another and not be concerned with the profit margin determining a good or bad christmas. for those of you that do not get his meaning, you are part of the problem and can''t see that you have sold your soul.

[lajones06]

you do not have to belong to any religion to see what is happening to our culture regarding greed and apathy. ben stein is right, we have lost the meaning of what we celebrate. it is not about material objects. it is a spirit that we have in all of us that has been lost for whatever reason. whether you are a jew or christian or muslim, we should all, as humans, reach out to one another and not be concerned with the profit margin determining a good or bad christmas. for those of you that do not get his meaning, you are part of the problem and can''t see that you have sold your soul.

[tyjohn47]

His old game show ''Win Ben Stein''s Money'' was the most intelligent, best game show on TV hands down. Too bad it''s not on anymore.

While I don''t agree with most of his politics; Stein is that rarest of conservatives (or liberals too for that matter) in the same style as George Will. Pricipled, uber intelligent, extremely well-read and will listen to opposing viewpoints without being scared that somebody who debates them might actually make a valid point from time to time.

There isn''t enough of that right now and it is sorely needed.

[regulateit]

I think some of you are not connecting with what he is really saying. I am a christian and I can''t begin to tell you how manipulated I feel by the press and the stores. Daily I hear if this season was a "good" sales season. The majority of stores and a national economy is based on sales during Christmas.

I respect all religions and do not consider mine superior. I do not even believe in practicing in a church. My relationship with God is personal. I do not believe he can only hear me with clarity in a house of worship. He is with me always. I just talk outloud to him. I ask him for the strength to make me a better, more loving human being. For the intelligence, to respect and listen to others points of view and the clarity to take a deep breath when I feel stressed and see the whole picture, not just a view through a window.

[fordham33014]

Ben Stein is a voice of reason in a world of disvisifness and hatred. I wish Ben Stein was running for President. It probably could''nt happen and he would not win because he is too level headed and the liberals could not support rational behavior.

[juwboy]

brianbwb:

I could write a Ph.D. dissertation on the points you bring up, so I''ll just give you a few of my immediate thoughts (intolerance is a continuing topic in these Comments, so I''m sure there''ll be more opportunities to address your other issues).

Would I follow the instructions of a cleric if I disagreed with him/her? No, but I''m highly educated in a Western sense. On AVERAGE, the followers of Muslim imams, globally, are barely literate and have been implicitly brain-washed from birth to look up to and obey one of the few educated persons they know, the local imam. On the instructions of an imam, or a Hitler, or a local Ku Klux Klan bigwig, rampaging lynch-mobs of uneducated morons can be quickly assembled and perform unspeakable acts under the umbrella of protection created by their numbers. Louis Farrakhan didn''t call DIRECTLY for a pogrom against Jews, but he came THIS close to it. I could give numerous examples, where analogs of his "gutter religion" insult have led to mobs rampaging through Jewish sections of cities, not just in Germany and the Middle East, but in every European country and even in America. Not only in the last century, but over the entire last MILLENNIUM. Don''t you know anything about the Inquisition?

My time on this public library terminal is almost up, unfortunately -- only 1 minute left!

[brianbwb-2009]

A Moslem theologian, Syaikh Muhammad Bin Shalih Al-Uthaymeen, has just declared that, if a Moslem says, "And a Merry Christmas to you, too", to a Christian who has just given him seasonal greetings, then the Moslem has committed a grave sin.

So if Kahane says that exchanging greetings with a gentile is a sin, would you believe that also?

Or if Oral Roberts says that greeting a homosexual is a sin, you would also assume that all Christians thought such?

Can you not tell the difference between a minister and a religious pimp?