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Deep down inside we all regret the fact that we have turned Christmas, originally a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, into a feast of consumption. Americans view themselves as being the worst example of this attitude and behavior. But are they? Perhaps there are nations even worse. Below, a report from an American ex-pat living in my home country, Sweden. The article; "Rampant holiday consumerism is hard to avoid, writes US-native and parent Rebecca Ahlfeldt, as she struggles to reconcile competing Swedish and American Christmas traditions in finding gifts for her children. Our family has entirely too much...

I decline to make Christmas a grenade in the politicized culture wars our nation is coming to specialize in. I refuse to let the thought or mention of Christmas fill me with anger and resentment. I resolve to let the thought of Christmas be an occasion of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Does that mean I believe there’s no hostility to Christmas in our culture? Of course there is. There has always been hostility to Christmas because there has always been hostility to Christ in our culture—and in every culture. The rationale for the...

Members of the House of Representatives are being told that no holiday greetings, including “Merry Christmas,” can be sent out in official mail. According to the Washington Examiner, members who submit official mailings for review by the congressional franking commission that reviews all congressional mail to determine if it can be "franked," or paid for with tax dollars, are being told that no holiday greetings, including "Merry Christmas," can be sent. "I called the commission to ask for clarification and was told no 'Merry Christmas.' Also told cannot say 'Happy New Year' but can say 'have a happy new year'...

St. Lawrence Council 10281 in South Amboy, NJ. Credit: Knights of Columbus. New Haven, Conn., Dec 16, 2011 / 03:03 am (CNA).- The Knights of Columbus' annual campaign reminding millions of Americans to “Keep Christ in Christmas” is in full swing with radio ads, signs, billboards, Nativity scenes and Christmas cards.“In a society where Christmas has often become shorthand for shopping, many who celebrate Christmas can lose sight of its true meaning,” Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said Dec. 15. “Those who celebrate Christmas give gifts to each other because it is the day on which we celebrate the...

Is the real issue hidden beneath a catchy headline “the war on Christmas?” A war on Christmas is a war against what we call a decorated tree. It is a war against what we call the school break that arrives each year around Christmas time. It is a war against public display of Christian themed decorations. It is a war of political correctness of whether one should wish you a Merry Christmas, offer you a sanitized season’s greeting, or refer to an alternative list of faith based and made up celebrations, all so as not to offend. To that extent,...

With the intensity of Black Friday shopping starting to fade, store chains know they are under pressure to keep the sales momentum going as they enter the next phase of a competitive holiday shopping season. Chains such as Macy's Inc, Target Corp and Best Buy reported large crowds this year on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving that sees millions of Americans start shopping more intensely for the holiday season.With the National Retail Federation only expecting retail sales to rise a modest 2.8 percent this year, store chains say it is risky to take their foot off the pedal, even...

U.S. opening formal probe into GM Volt fire risk Photo 5:46pm EST (Reuters) - U.S. auto safety regulators are opening a formal investigation into fire risks in General Motors' Volt vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Friday it was taking the step after efforts to recreate a May crash test saw fires result from two out of three crash tests performed this month. "While it is too soon to tell whether the investigation will lead to a recall of any vehicles or parts, if NHTSA identifies an unreasonable risk to safety, the agency will take immediate action...

In what economists are hailing as a clear sign of economic recovery, Walmart customers across the USA jammed into stores on Black Friday, sometimes killing each other to buy useless ----.

Apparently it started with a fight over the new Xbox 360.A customer shot pepper spray at other customers at a busy Northridge Wal-Mart store late Thursday night, causing minor injuries to at least 10 people who had been waiting hours for Black Friday savings, according to Los Angeles firefighters and a police lieutenant. The Associated Press later reported 20 injuries. "It was an unhappy customer'' who spritzed pepper spray at the Wal-Mart, 19821 Rinaldi Street, at 10:10 p.m., said Lt. Abel Parga at the Los Angeles Police Department's Devonshire station. The suspect then left the store. Firefighters arrived to treat...

Thanksgiving is a time to thank God for all our blessings. But President Obama thinks we should be thanking him instead. Here's a new video we've put together that makes clear just how little we have to thank our president for. Enjoy!

The story of Christ's birth is a story of promise, hope, and a revolutionary love. So, what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists. And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas? What if Christmas became a world-changing event again? Welcome to Advent Conspiracy.

The spotlight is on the Chevrolet Volt following word that one of the plug-in hybrids caught fire while being tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But TheDetroitBureau.com has learned that the fire was readily preventable had a few simple steps been taken after a Volt was put through a series of tests three weeks earlier. Federal regulators have promised a full investigation of the spring incident in which the Volt caught fire and burned several nearby vehicles. That has raised serious questions about the safety of its batteries, though GM officials say it may instead require adapting federal...

Okay, less than two weeks until Black Friday and I am already seeing some terrific deals, some of which I shall list below. I invite you to list your own Black Friday deals as well. Personally, I have a rather modest Black Friday goal. I just want to get a really good deal on a Lexmark 730 inkjet cartridge. As for the electronic stuff below I am guessing you will need to get yourself a chair and wait on a line all night, something I am not prepared to do. So here are some of the really good deals I've...

As if the new York Times couldn’t sink any further down the hole of warped and twisted pro-abortion activism, the Gray Lady is out with yet another “news” piece that moves the newspaper further beyond the pale.Ruth Pawder is out today with a new story titled “The Two-Minus-One Pregnancy,” that focuses on “selective reduction” – the euphemistic phrase given to name the destruction of one or more unborn children in a multiple pregnancy situation where a mother has more than one baby resulting from an IVF pregnancy involving the implantation of multiple human embryos.The Times never makes it past the...

Globalization is giving a harder edge to the softer strain of Islam in East Asia. Meanwhile, China's rising economic activity in the region is importing a glitzy capitalism and fueling consumerism. Islam has been an American obsession for at least a decade. The 9/11 attacks and the intractable violence in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan — however much we have been the cause of it — have left us bewildered and terrified by this seemingly austere and martial faith. Islam was spread quickly by the sword from Arabia westward across North Africa, the history books tell us, and is supposedly prone...

FYI, The NASA press release below refers to 'holiday' or 'seasons' greetings six times. No mention of Christmas, of course. [comment deleted]! In a bizarre historical turnabout, religious activity on the space station has now become almost entirely dominated by the Russians. They fly icons blessed by priests (http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=6673) Photos: http://hochu.vkosmos.ru/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/ikona.jpeg and http://www.svet-valaama.ru/photoalbom/2006_05_icon_from_space/2006_05_icon_from_space_01.jpg Also http://www.interfax-religion.ru/img/2308.jpg I haven't seen anything remotely similar from the American side. What have I missed? For the next manned launch this Sunday, also expect Russian Orthodox priests from the newly-built church in Baykonur (news story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10729300) to bless the rocket and the crew. File photo: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Mp59h1-TVgE/SsKiot99hvI/AAAAAAAAAnA/1QV6t9vIfrs/s400/Best+Soyuz+Bless.jpg...

As U.S. health care costs continue to escalate, Consumer Directed Health Care (CDH) can be a positive force for change that allows patients to gain greater control over their healthcare decisions, allow employers to reduce their healthcare benefit expenditure, enable insurers to increase membership by making more affordable insurance available and provide opportunities for financial institutions to expand their presence in the healthcare industry

The convergence of a number of things - the new eco-movement, a slow economy and a Big Government growing bigger and more oppressive by the minute - all at the same time has made many stop and think about the rat race they find themselves in. How much of how we live is excessive? Where have we gone so far forward that we are actually going backwards? And where does this fit in our worldviews? How does this all fit together? People have begun to looking again at conservation and energy saving techniques as a way to save money - and...

... [“Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture”] is a jeremiad. Ms. Ruppel Shell, a contributing editor for The Atlantic Monthly and a journalism professor at Boston University, is disgusted with retailers who she says have abandoned their principles in pursuit of rock-bottom prices. And she is angry with the rest of us for supporting them. Ms. Ruppel Shell argues that our national obsession with bargains has lowered our standard of living and hurt the environment and the quality of American products. “Cheap” has plenty of targets, and many are usual ones. Ms. Ruppel Shell lambastes Wal-Mart, saying it underpays...

"Made in Nicaragua" . . . "Made in China" . . . "Made in Pakistan" . . . It’s a free country, so you all can do as you please, but for what it is worth, I think we would be better off if we stopped thinking like “consumers” and started thinking like Americans. So when I shop for patriotic stuff for the Fourth of July, I’ll be checking labels.