Christmas Wish

As a child I used to love Christmas with all my being. I counted down the days until that glorious event took place. However as I find myself getting older I must say the luster of the holidays has tarnished. Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-Christmas, not at all. In fact I wholly celebrate the underlying reason for Christmas. The celebration of the gift of a saviour is beyond compare. I want to go on record as saying I love the idea of Christmas just not the way it is celebrated. I made the mistake of doing a little Christmas shopping the other day. I turned the radio to Christmas song, put on my happy face and headed toward my local retail chain. What I found was nothing short of chaos. People grumbling, shoving, swearing, and in general hating the shopping experience. They all seemed to be on the hunt for a gift that might satisfy the need of the family, loved one or co-worker they were buying for. There was no peace on earth or good will to men to be found. Now before you label me a Grinch, or a scrooge hear me out. What would happen in your world if instead of buying gifts that have little or no significance attached to it you gave a gift with meaning. Now I didn't say a gift that cost a lot of money. I said give a gift of significance. A gift that builds relationships and community. I attend a study/discussion/community group called DC. One of the challenges we discussed was the idea of giving a gift that cost nothing but means everything. So instead of getting caught up in the "whose gift is bigger, better, more expensive" game, what if we gave a gift that made a difference. Some of the suggestions that came out of DC was; sign up for a volunteer opportunity together, give a gift to the poor and needy in the name of a loved one, create an experience that celebrates that friend or loved one, write a letter of love and appreciation,.....the list is limitless. If you think about it, these are the kind of gifts that most celebrate the idea of Christmas. Christmas is the celebration that God loves us so desperately that he became flesh and left the confines of heaven. So any gift that is give should be a gift the reflects unselfish, self sacrificing love. Now it may be too late to take all those gifts back and change your whole gift giving strategy but take this idea to heart. Let me know what you think.

Peace
Ralph