Christmas

Oh, that magical word, Christmas. It is such a wonderful occasion that is anticipated all year long. I sit here and look at my newly decorated Christmas tree. It has a ton of lights on it, and all kinds of colorful ornaments and a huge Santa Clause tree shirt that my grandson picked out. There are no presents under the Christmas tree, and yet, there is such a simplicity to just having a decorated Christmas tree.

As I look at this beautiful tree that I had just created, it looks to me as if it is enough. It; standing there by itself is plenty, representing Christmas. How are one, two, three or four presents under that Christmas tree going to make Christmas complete? There is no way that it can.

On Thanksgiving, we are grateful and give thanks. On Christmas, we give thanks to Christ for being born. And for New Year’s we are thankful for being able to ring in another year. The keyword all year long, is to be thankful. Have we become complacent and lost the beauty and magic that Christmas holds?

Christmas is going to be rough this year! That sentence is ringing true in many households this year. In many households this statement is nothing new. Christmas is a holiday that they can give their children necessities such as school clothes or winter boots or new gym shoes or a new winter coat for school.

There are families that overspend at Christmas. So much that they risk throwing themselves in financial ruin over it. They will put the whole Christmas holiday on their credit card, and that’s sad because it doesn’t signify what the holiday is truly about.

Christmas always was and will always be a time for necessities. I will ask my children the same question that I’ve always asked them “What do you need?” It is never a “What do you want.” In my life it was always a “You get what you get, and be happy with it” attitude. It makes you humble.

How can you tell if you have a good Christmas? Well, my kids know that it’s a good one if they get two of something! For example if they usually get one pair of jeans and some socks and a shirt, they will get two of each. That’s a good Christmas! There are no brand new TVs’, or expensive jewelry, or anything else for that matter. Just us and we’re appreciating everything that we do have, and writing down our goals of the things that we don’t.

So, have a wonderful Christmas, give love and peace. And remember; a good ear for listening, a hug just for giving and a smile sent straight to your soul is sent your way! Sometimes you don’t need anything, you just might have all you need and if you truly want to give something, try making something using your mind and your own bare hands. There’s no commercialism in that.