On Christmas Day...

One of the saddest sights we have seen this holiday season was at 10 a.m. on Christmas Day.

It was all the cars in the parking lot at the casino. On Christmas morning.

Even WalMart's lot was empty, the store dark.

By 2 p.m., Christmas Day, the number of cars in the casino's lot had doubled.

We surely have lost the spirit of Christmas if a casino is our destination of choice on Christmas Day. This is not a criticism of the casino per se, but of us as a society. We have long lost sight of the reason we celebrate Christmas.

Ask many a child today why we celebrate it, and they will tell you to get toys or to give gifts.

As sad a commentary as that is, at least they have some of the spirit right ... the giving part.

Even if the materialism of the season has blinded us to the origins of Christmas: Middle English Christemasse, from Old English Cristes mæsse, literally, Christ's mass ... we cannot fathom why a casino would draw anyone on this day.

Is it a Bacchanalia?

Or is it desperation ... ?

Either way it is symbolic of what is wrong in our society.

The Advertiser Democrat Editorial Board