Amid the commercialism of Christmas, the core reason for the holiday still emerges. Assemblies of God Ministerial Enrichment Director Gary Allen likes to link Thanksgiving and Christmas, because he says we need to learn to be thankful and to give sacrificially. And Allen says that though it might not seem like it, many still respect those holidays. Allen says this isn’t a time for churches to try force people to acknowledge the reason for the season, but a time for the church to take advantage of the opportunity Christmas affords, in the willingness of people to listen to the Gospel message.