An Angel talks with God about Christmas.(Kevin Hughes) “I am sorry to rush you God, especially today, your birthday.”

“Well, technically, it is my Son’s birthday. But Thank you anyway. Since he is Me.”

The Angel shook its golden locks (in point of fact, Angels were never Human, and do not have gender):

“That would be a wonderful article, but I am here to ask you about Christmas. Why did you “invent” Christmas?”

‘Oh, that’s simple. Just trying to fight entropy.”

“Err…that is a physics term. I asked about Christmas.”

“See there? Sometimes you Angels think like Humans. Like everything is physical. Funny, considering I never gave you Angels any material bodies. You are assembled from the Quantum Foam, allowing you existence without substance.”

The Angel shook his golden locks again.

“That would be another great article…”

“I don’t mean to interrupt you Angel, but by definition any article about me would be a Great Article. That isn’t Hubris, that is just the facts.”

“Yes. I know. ( the Angel chuckled slightly, because God is Humility itself. He is the correct answer to that age old schoolyard saying: “If you were as great as I am, you would be humble too).

“Be that as it may, we were talking about Christmas.”

“Yes. I know. Okay, how do Humans act most of the time?”

The Angel frowned. Humans were petty, self centered, creatures, who seem determined to wipe themselves off of the face of the Earth. Either by war, famine, messing up the water, and air, or by mere prejudice on a large scale. The Angel didn’t much like Humans. Luckily he did not have to interact with Humans, merely acknowledge their existence. For as the Humans are finding out, perception precedes existence. To keep Humans “alive”, Angels had to be aware of them.

“Well, they aren’t very nice. Not to themselves, nor to their fellow man- or woman, or child, for that matter.”

“Exactly. You know why?”

“No.”

“Because, dear Angel. For them to be: nice, kind, tolerant, accepting, forgiving, and loving, they need to fight entropy. All those Human emotions don’t happen in a Vacuum. Entropy, or Evil as they call it on Earth, only needs to be ignored to do its dirty work. If you don’t clean your room , it won’t clean itself. In fact, given enough time, and no care or attention, well, the room itself will finally fall apart. Evil is neglect. It is much easier to not do something, than to do something. It is also much much easier to not care about anything. Like care about another person. Or a stranger. Or even your self sometimes.

Christmas, well, it makes Humans think about Goodness. Kindness. Charity. Forgiveness. Family. Love. It makes them care. For a brief moment, all the work it takes to become fully human- is the focus of mankind. For a brief six week period, they try to be better people in almost every way. Of course, by the New Year most of that good will has fizzled out to be lost in the entropy of a whole year ahead. A year where most of the time they won’t think about being any different than they are most of the time. All that good will, good thoughts, good deed stuff will , simply from neglect, fade away. Entropy. “

The smile on God’s face made the Angel very happy. An Angel can absorb that kind of positive energy. A Human would have gone blind, deaf, dumb, and then what was left would have blasted out into the Universe in a vortex of one last happy thought. Live Humans could never take a God Smile. So God invented Death so that they could come back as beings incapable of ignoring the obvious choices to become a better person. And so they could see Him smile.

“So Christmas is a focal point for Human Charity?”

“No. It is a starting place to understand that all the stuff they think is important, is not. I came into their world with nothing. I left it with nothing. Yet for 2,000 years they have thought about what I said, how I acted, and how they could become more like Me. Oh sure, some Humans try to make the day all about the glory of Me. It isn’t. It is about the Glory of what they could be, with just a little effort.

They could seek peace, not war. They could forgive the worst thing ever done to them, knowing I suffered much worse than that at their hands, but still chose to Love them. They could realize that when they reject the neglected people in their own Societies, they are hurting themselves. “

“But they don’t change.”

“Oh, some do. I mean look at what that one story about Scrooge did for mankind. It took all my lessons and changed them into a secular meaning. One that needs no Religion to understand. Mankind is their business. I love that line. “ And God chuckled.

The Angel Loved that laugh. If a Human couldn’t take God’s Smile, imagine what His laugh would do.

“Well what about all the presents, the commercial things, the decorations and Santa Claus outfits? Don’t they subtract from the Glory of the Day?”

This time God laughed a true Belly Laugh. Angels dropped in their tracks, particles popped into and out of existence. Love isn’t a color, but it is when God wears it.

“Oh, my dear Angel. Weren’t you listening? Christmas isn’t about Me! It is about making Humans aware of how like Me they could be. They can create a better earth. They can choose to be better people. The gifts are not the point, the giving is. Think about it for a second. For a brief time, they themselves act and treat each other, as if they were Me. They answer the prayers of people who have no food, no shelter, no clothes. They make families where there were none. They bring joy, happiness, and kindness out into the open. Sometimes in my name, sometimes in the guise of Santa. Sometimes just for the Solstice, but no matter what the reason -they try and be a better person. The simple fact is they are better people because of Christmas. For a while anyway. “

The Angel pondered for a few moments.

“So you are saying that people who think about just gifts, but not the giving - are forced into giving, even though they only care about the gifts?”

“That is close. If you are hungry do you really care if the food came from a guy in a Red Suit, or someone with a collar? If you are cold and wet, and shivering. Do you really care if you are dry and safe in a Church, a home, or a garage? Or even in a Manger. No. Humans, for a bit, try and make the Earth nicer for everyone. If all they have to give is a smile, or a Season’s Greeting, well, at least they are talking to each other. Not about the topic of the day, or gossip, or news, but simply about each other. They see each other as people, as a person they are talking with, sharing with, or being kind to another person. It keeps entropy at bay for the rest of the year. “

The Angel summed up what he had learned.

“In a way, they are cleaning the rooms of their hearts, and repairing the roofs of their souls. Making a place to keep love alive and safe from neglect.”

“Exactly. A very merry Christmas. One filled with charity, hope, new beginnings, old friends, and kindness. Love is the theme for all Christmas Celebrations. The Gift Givers, get way more than they give. Every Christmas, more and more Humans figure that out. It works.”

The Angel smiled.

“Then I wish you a Merry Christmas. “

by Kevin Hughes

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