Christmas-Holiday Songs

What Child is this?
Away in a Manger
Silent Night
Oh Holy Night

When you look at Christmas Music (songs made to represent Christianity and Christ's birth) from a folklore perspective, you immediately classify them as "hero worship" songs--songs that are designed to praise the deeds of a hero, someone who has done something outstanding that affects the lives of others.

But I have a question: Why don't we have more Holiday hero worship songs--sure, we have Santa, but he's not real--the metaphor is real, but the person isn't ACTUALLY real.

Things have changed in my life and I need to find the true meaning of Christmas all over again--to me it will always be "Christmas" but what am I really celebrating?

I think the thing that I'm celebrating on Christmas time is the good deeds of those around me. The charitable acts, the dignity, the respect, the courage of man--these are the things I care about. 

To me, Christmas is a time of year to recommit myself to being a man. It's a time of year to recommit myself to being forgiving and merciful. To be thankful. To love. Christmas is about performing kind deeds and helping others.

This year, I'm going to focus on searching for those people who are honorable, who are courageous, who are capable of putting their own wants and desires aside in order to accommodate others. I have a great respect for those people, even though I don't always recognize or acknowledge them. That's what the true spirit of Christmas is about, and I wish more songs were written about these people and their deeds as opposed to some king born long ago whose affect continues to reach me only because his followers continue to worship him even though he died long before they were born and his kingdom is no longer his own.