Christmas for the psychotic

It was Christmas and the judge was in a benevolent mood as he questioned the prisoner. “What are you charged with?” asked the judge.

“Doing my Christmas shopping early,” the prisoner replied.

“That’s no offense. How early were you doing your shopping?”

“Before the store opened.” That’s what Christmas means to the thief.

But what does Christmas mean to the mentally challenged?

Well, I’ve got a material for you.

“Christmas Carols for the Mentally Challenged.” This is the title of the article I got from the Internet a long time ago. For people with mental disorders, they have their own favorite Christmas carols. Slightly different from the ones that are familiar yet when you hear it closely, maybe the word “slightly” is not too slight after all.

Listen to the favorite Christmas carols for the mentally challenged.

• For the Schizophrenia: The song says, “Do You Hear What I Hear?”

• For those with Multiple Personality disorder: We Three Queens Disoriented Are.

• For Dementia: I Think I’ll Be Home for Christmas.

• For the Narcissistic: Hark The Herald Angels Sing (About Me)

• For Mania: Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town or Deck the Halls and Spare No Expense!

• For the Paranoia: Santa Claus is coming to Get Me.

• For people with Personality Disorder: You Better Watch Out, I’m Gonna Cry, I’m Gonna Pout, then MAYBE I’ll tell you why.

• For the Obsessive Compulsive: Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, and it goes on and on.

• For those with Borderline Personality: Thoughts of Roasting in an Open Fire.

• And for the Passive Aggressive: On the First Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me (and then took it all away).

Well, it looks like Christmas means a lot different things to different people.

To the businessmen, Christmas may mean brisk sales. Make sure we have enough inventories to meet the season’s unusual high demand. Great time to recover from the year’s lack-luster performance. But it looks like this year is not getting any better at all.

To employees the sweetest sound to their ears would be the Christmas bonuses and the 13 month pay.

To housewives it’s making sure that the shelves are stacked with enough groceries for Christmas Eve.

To parents it’s making sure that the kids have new clothes to wear and that the addresses of godparents are updated.

So many meanings to different people and then we tend to miss the most important reason of them all. That it is the time to remember that God became flesh and dwelt with us giving us the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Not too many people know this. The baby born on the manger on Christmas night is the only person who was born with the sole mission to die. The entire theme of salvation could not be consummated until the Savior dies on the Cross. And for Him to rise again and conquer death.

Oh how the world misses this message.

But for those who do, Christmas becomes a very special time in their hearts. A time for awe and wonder. Why God would come and offer His life for mine. It’s not about gifts, it’s not about profits and it’s not about parties. It’s about Christ. No wonder the whole world is so messed up. Christmas is a great big birthday party people celebrate without knowing the birthday celebrant. This is why for me Christmas will only mean one thing. And it’s all about the business of trying to reach out. When man reaches out for God it is called religion. But when God reaches out for man it is called CHRISTMAS.

(Click on to www.franciskong.com and send me your feedback or you can also listen to my radio program “Business Matters” aired 8:00a.m. and 6:30 p.m. weekdays over 98.7 dzFE-FM ‘The Master’s Touch’, the classical music station.)