'Tis that Season

I can't help it, but every December that rolls around, I find myself becoming increasingly angry at God. It's a shame, because from an indirect point of view, it's not even his fault. You see, it's not God that I'm really mad at, but all those people who believe it's their duty to take religion and make people pay for it. It kills me a little inside every time I see it happen. Things aren't helped at all by the season either, for you see, it is almost Christmas, and this is when God (or at least his son), gets the star of popularity.

There are a number of things about this season that just infuriate me. First off, am I still allowed to call it Christmas, or is the Holiday Season? Do I say 'Happy Holidays!' or 'Happy Christmas!'? Not being religious, it makes things even more complicated. I realize that X-mas only exists because the Son of God was born (a topic of argument for another day), but the holiday has become so commercialized that I don't even feel like God has anything to do with it anymore. So, I say "Happy Holidays!", up until X-mas day, on which I say "Happy Christmas!".

The worst Holiday experience of my life was two years ago on New Years Eve. It snowed, in Katy, Texas, a miracle on its own. Why? Well, I credit it to my going to Church for the first time in my life. Don't get me wrong, I've been to many religious activities; I even went to a catholic school for two years of my life. That's why I'm an atheist. But, two years ago, I walked into a church at the request of my best friend to hear the Christmas Eve mass. What a mistake that was. All was well for the first fifteen minutes, up until the giant projection screens rolled down from the roof and the corporate Target logo appeared on the screen. I kid you not, this is what happened. A commercial for Target played at a Christmas Eve mass. A woman was walking around the shop (a woman who went to this church) and she was picking up items looking at them, and commenting on their great value and how much money could be saved at target. Then she said: "I believe, if Jesus were alive now, he would continue the gift of giving by shopping at places like this."

I died a little inside right then and there.

But then, who am I to say what's right and what's wrong when the government of the United States declares that children can't have "Christmas Parties" because of the separation of Church and State, and yet Homosexuals can't get married to one another because "The Bible says it's wrong!"