While I’m not nearly as religious as I used to be, I still maintain the philosophy that all traditions and customs should retain their original purpose and meaning. A lot of statistics point to this time of year being the worst for stress-related ailments (including heart attacks), and it would seem that most of that can be linked back to the consumerist, commercially-imposed mentality that says we have to buy presents for people…forsomebody else’s birthday.

Now, it’s nice to have a ’season of giving’…but that should be all the time. To imply there’s a dedicated SEASON to give, assumes that the rest of the year is the opposite. Ironically, most people here in the U.S. think about receiving more than giving, and therefore objects of desire are constantly shoved in our field of view and sold at 30—70% off (for a limited time only).

Ultimately—as all pastors will tell you—“Jesus is the reason for the season”, so instead of telling your kids about some fat cat burglar in red breaking into your house just to give you a video game or socks or diamond jewelry, people should be using this time to renew their faith in their savior, like they take December 31st to renew their resolve about losing weight or working towards that promotion or whatever.

I threw this little drawing together to show that I recognize the rest of the world is celebrating the holidays, considering Earth Tones as a strip isn’t really synching up with current events YET. I hope you enjoy, and that everybody stays safe, warm, and stress-free this weekend.

Peace on Earth is what I want for Christmas! …wha- You’re saying I have to wish for something material? Wack.