Perhaps the economic challenges of this past year will encourage us to not only appreciate the true meaning of Christmas but also to embrace the true spirit of Christmas. Too often people tend to focus upon the apparent rampant commercialism of the holiday season and keeping up with, if not ahead of, our neighbors.
Recent announcements by Sears and other companies may indicate that I’m engaging in a bit of wishful thinking. Before October was over, Sears announced they would begin their holiday season with a “Black Friday Sale” long before the traditional Friday after Thanksgiving sale.
Emotionally this is traditionally a difficult time of year for so many. The economic challenges of this past year may serve to intensify the depression and anger that historically have driven up the rates of suicide and domestic violence. With the increasing load of stress, it becomes harder to kep the “true” spirit of Christmas in focus and as a guide for our daily interaction with those around us.
Too often many people appear to focus their energy on what they don’t have rather than embracing what they do have. In focusing on tangible items and deminishing the importance and value of things that are intangivle, we tend to lose our awareness of what Christmas spirit is all about.
If you live in the Western World then you know that the true meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Christ. The Christ child is a symbol of love, light, hope and peace that makes this such a joyful season for true believers. However, even among the believers or an ardent Christians, this awareness ad understanding is not enough to overcome the depression, anger and stress of the season and the past year’s challenges.
If we can just take a moment too recall and embrace the true meaning of Christmas. We need to learn to reach down within ourseves to find the spirit of Christmas. To me, the true spirit of Christmas begins with having a giving spirit. Each of us must be willing to give. Give of ourselves, our time and our love, and to give of our worldly possessions. Don’t think of the gifts you give to others as an obligation or duty, but think of it as a symbol of your love for them. While no gift can accurately reflect the love we feel for those who are near and dear to us, we can show them that they matter by spending time and thought to create or select a gift with meaning.
This web site is commited to sharing the spirit of Christmas with others and to provide you wth the resources which can help you to reach out to family, friends and friends to be in a spirit of sharing and giving.
One of the earliest memories that I have as a child was sitting at my grandparent’s table and making gifts with my own two hands. As a child without an allowance or income of my own, I took creative joy in making my gifts from ideas and designs of my own creation and imagination. I invested many hours into designing and then creating these items. Granted, I could have persuaded my Grandfather into giving me some money so that I could buy a shirt imprinted with “world’s best grandpa”however, I expect that most grandfathers were like mine and they would cherish something created with my own hands and of my own special design. A design that was probably flawed by commercial standards. A design complete — misspellings, oddly-formed pictures and all.
Perhaps, if you are struggling with your Christmas spirit this year, you should avoid the mall entirely this season and find a different way to give?
Embracing the spirit of Christmas also means giving to those beyond our immediate family and friends, especially those most in need following such a trying year. While it may be easy to toss some money into a Salvation Army red kettle, and that is certainly worth doing, but if your Christmas spirit needs a boost then perhaps you should try something more hands-on.
Local churches, schools, and charitable organizations can usually give you a list of opportunities to give and help those in your own community who are in need. For example, the nearby AFL-CIO Local compiles a list of families in need during the holiday season and have established an “adopt a family” approach to focused giving. Other organizations are targeting assistance to others in need and those serving us oveseas in our armed services.and the needy children in our community. In the helping of others we frequently discover a deeper appreciation of the things we already possess.
Embrace the spirit of Christmas and find the true meaning of the season to bring more joy and happiness into your life while adding to the happiness and joy of those around you.
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