Christmas is over.

The whole twelve days of Christmas ended yesterday on the feast day called Epiphany.

New Years Day has happened.

What comes next?

Woolworths are already trying to sell hot cross buns.

Father Tony Kennedy, Parish Priest of Burnie, Tasmania, has complained, saying hot cross buns are a reminder of the death of Jesus Christ on the first Good Friday . . . .

So they shouldn’t be eaten before that day each year.

* * *

Woolworths say they start selling hot cross buns in January “because of consumer demand”.

In other words, because there’s money in it.

Woolworths sell cigarettes because there’s money in it.

Woolworths sell alcohol because there’s money in it.

Woolworths-associated companies are Australia’s biggest poker machine operators because there’s money in it.

If marijuana was ever legalised they’d sell it because there’s money in it.

Father Kennedy is right.

Woolworths are wrong.

Some things are more important than money . . . .

* * *

But nothing will change unless somehow one of their perverse marketings becomes a money-loser.

I haven’t been in a Woolworths store for years.

Have you?

The Australian media are currently over-full of tennis and cricket results.

Why?

Because that’s what attracts the most readers/viewers, who, on seeing the advertisements, will obediently buy the products advertised– thus making the owners of the media and sporting teams richer.

Sport is, of course, good in its way.

The Pope (speaking to soccer players in Spain) said as much:

“Sport should promote the virtues of loyalty, fairness, sobriety and mutual respect.”

* * *

It is important that sport does not promote assaulting other people, either physically or verbally.

And does not promote passively sitting in front of a screen and consuming junk food and alcohol.

And it should not promote turning Sunday, the traditional day for worshipping God, into a day of celebrity-idolising and self-worship.

* * *

If we get our attitude to sport wrong, we are on the way to cultural and spiritual suicide.

On Judgment day, God will not be asking you how much sport you played or whether your country’s team won the Ashes.

December 26 is listed as a “Christmas Day Holiday” in Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia.

Nations which have 4%, 10% and 2% Catholic populations.

What is the point of them having such a rash of Christian observances . . . ?

It’s good to see, anyway.

* * *

What about Australia, with its nominally majority Christian population?

Here December 26 is famous for:

(1) Boxing Day Sales.

Shops selling off failed Christmas present-style goodies at “bargain” prices.

Already-fleeced punters all turn up yet again to be re-fleeced.

(2) The Boxing Day Test.

Australia’s cricket team plays a visiting team at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Cricket enthusiasts drink diluted ethanol either from eskies at the MCG or in front of the TV until comatose.

Or have eskies been banned? I can’t remember.

* * *

Traditionally December 26 is/was the Feast day of Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr.

A few weeks after Jesus was crucified and resurrected, Stephen preaching in Jerusalem challenging the people to become Christians . . . .

Hauled before a kangaroo court, he delivered a sermon to his accusers and judges about how they, too, should become believers.

They were peeved.

As recorded in the Bible, in the Book of Acts:

“He said, ‘Behold I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’

But they stopped their ears and rushed at him.

They cast him out of the city and stoned him . . . and as they were stoning him, he prayed, ‘LORD, DO NOT LAY THIS SIN TO THEIR CHARGE.’”

For some children Christmas is a long day.

Mummy and daddy not living together, they must present themselves to mummy plus a “partner” whom they are expected to be nice to.

Then to daddy plus another “partner” . . . .

Then to multiple grandparents, not necessarily very keen on each other.

How can children know whom they belong to and whom they can trust?

In our culture it is common to select a partner on the basis of taking a fancy to each other while inebriated at the nightclub . . . .

Then impregnating each other after the nightclub closes . . . .

Then discovering they must work together raising a child, when they hardly know each other.

How to do better?

Phase out nightclubs, enforce under-age drinking laws, curfews . . . ?

Whatever it takes.

No need to ask young people if they like the idea.

Being young, their opinion is not worth much.

On 31 October 2011, we were told that on that day, or close enough, the baby bringing the world’s total population to 7 billion was born.

United Nations agencies and “environmentalist” groups consider that a disaster.

Are they right?

(1) The figure itself is probably incorrect.

Every local administration, world-wide, which gets funding from a bigger government tends to over-state the number of people it currently provides for – hoping to extract bigger handouts.

(2) We face a future of under-population.

80-plus nations now reproduce at rates insufficient to maintain a constant population.

Russia’s population will have fallen by 25 million by the year 2050.

Likewise Japan, Italy Spain etc.

(3) De-population will increase numbers of dependent elderly — exactly when numbers of young adults entering the workforce start plummeting.

(4) Big families are best for children to grow up in.

The older ones learn to look after the younger ones.

The “what’s in it for me” mentality is harder to get away with.

Ex-Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, has written a foreword to a book which promises to be political dynamite.

“How to get expelled from school”, by Professor Ian Plimer.

Its message is that “man-made-climate-change”, as taught in our schools, is not based on good science.

* * *

Prof Plimer also promotes conspiracy theories about government backing climate-change views simply to collect more taxes.

He would do better to stick to the point, i.e. to the scientific facts.

If Plimer and co. can demonstrate that the “changes” have been exaggerated — and won’t be reversed by decimating industry . . . .

No need then to resort to attacking personalities and motives.

* * *

Yes, we should care for the environment better.

Australians consume too much – mainly products made by workers (God’s children) who are virtually slaves, e.g. in China.

We say we don’t believe in slavery. We like an affluent lifestyle. We want it both ways. We are hypocrites.

The moral issue is more important than “climate-change”.

Sort that out and the “climate-change” issue — such as it is – may well sort itself out.