Monday, November 26, 2007

Merry Christmas

Let me start out with an apology to my mother. I have always enjoyed Christmas with my family, and am very thankful for all of the gifts that I have received. We always read the Christmas story before opening presents. Thank you, it helps remind me every year what Christmas truly is about, and why people celebrate it on such a large scale. I hope that you will come to forgive me, and understand what I am trying to say. I am not trying to hurt you or Christmas, I am just trying to step back, and remind people about the true meaning of Christmas. I love you mom, you are very special to me, and I am very lucky to have such a compassionate mother.



What I am disgusted with is the commercialized business that Christmas has become. It has become a distraction from the true celebration. Trees and commercials appeared near the end of October. This caused me to become weary before the holiday season began. It may sounds selfish, but I wanted to enjoy autumn and the beauty of the trees that God created. I wanted to spend time thanking God for the many blessings he has bestowed upon me this year, I am so unworthy of these blessings. I enjoy seeing lights, and hearing some Christmas music, after Thanksgiving, because it displays joy and celebration. I fear that we too often forget why we are hanging lights and singing Christmas songs and only do so for the sake of saying we did, or to impress our friends and neighbors...we forget the bliss and wonder of the season, the genuine Christmas spirit.

While I believe a gift is a great way to show someone that you care, I do not believe that so much money needs to be spent to display this feeling. A simple hug or a short note of encouragement can often be more heartfelt than a new shirt or DVD. I enjoy the phrase
"the best gifts often come in small packages," how true. To put it in my own words, which I hope will shine light on my feelings, The best gifts are not always the most expensive, but they are always the gifts that hold the most heart. One of the best gifts to give and receive is time. Whether it be physically spending time with someone or taking time to select the right gift, it causes a gift to hold more love and essence.

1 comment:

Julie said...

Christmas is a reason to celebrate. I hope you are able to come to a point where you can look past the commercialism and celebrate. Our society has also made Christmas into a time for families to get together. I look forward to having my living kids all home and spending time together.
You are not the first person to feel this way. You have heard "Keep Christ in Christmas" and "Jesus is the reason for the season". People who do not KNOW Jesus, Just don't get it. So they "celebrate" the only way they know how, by buying gifts.