BILLIONS, yep that’s right, BILLIONS of people celebrate Christmas and the tradition gift giving worldwide on December 25th.
Whether you celebrate Christmas as a Christian or as a public holiday, on this one day we shower our loved ones with gifts, food and celebration.
This act of giving permeates our souls as we hurriedly prepare for December 25th and all that our own celebrations entail.
You often hear people speaking of the spirit of Christmas sometimes in positive tones and sometimes in very negative terms. We’ve all heard it and maybe we’ve said it ourselves: “I just can’t get into the spirit of Christmas this year.”
Or “Christmas is such a farce, so commercial, so exploited.”
But even when faced with the most negative of spirits we often find ourselves greeting total strangers with a “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”.
And despite all the stress that the commercialization of Christmas brings we often find ourselves smiling at a long lost memory of Christmas past or singing along to the radio as it spills out our favorite carol.
The True Spirit of Christmas resides within all of us and just like anything else how we feel about it is a personal choice.
You can make that spirit grow and just as the flu spreads so can the acts of kindness and generosity.
One person can make a difference.
One person can make Christmas less commercial and more real.
We all know someone who is in dire straights.
In this economy it is impossible not to.
Maybe it’s your neighbor, who’s out of a job, or alone, or lonely. Maybe it’s the homeless guy you pass on the street everyday, or the person you know is suffering from a debilitating illness or an all-consuming addiction to alcohol or drugs.
Maybe you’ll say but I’m suffering financially too, or you’re struggling to get the gifts under the tree for the ones you love yourself.
But truth is, it can be done. Acts of love, kindness and generosity don’t have to costly.
Call the family together, make it a group effort; even the smallest of children often have a few pennies to chip in.
Decide together who you’d like to help and how.
Maybe inviting the lonely widow or widower to dinner on Christmas Day will be your gift.
Or have everyone in your group chip in and with the money you gather purchase a gift card from your local grocery store or gas station.
An anonymous gift of love and kindness is the very best gift of all.
Worried the town drunk or otherwise addicted person won’t benefit rightfully from a gift?
Purchase a gift coupon good for X amount and leave it in the local restaurant that you know this person frequents.
Most local business owners are happy to help and secretly watching the recipient of your gift have a nutritious meal can be so very rewarding.
In your family meeting maybe you’ll come up with some ideas of your own.
Get into the Spirit of Christmas by becoming the Spirit yourself and spread the love like a fever.
You and your loved ones won’t regret it come Christmas morning.
Wishing you and yours PEACE, LOVE and JOY now and in the coming New Year.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
