Why Christmas should cure people.
It is easy to see the problems with the world today, life’s issues seem to force themselves into our consciousness. There are those without enough to eat, no family, no home and no hope of anything any better. This is impossible to fix completely but Christmas gives us our best opportunity to make changes in the quality of life for all people. How come we so often miss the mark? Why is it that so many people are not really happy on Christmas?
Commercialism Robs Gratitude
The increase in commercialism around this time has made Christmas the season of expectations not of gift giving and gratitude. People, especially young people, spend the holiday wrapped up in what is being wrapped up for them. Rather than being concerned with the feeling of Christmas which has always been love, they are worried about what is in this for them.
I feel old when I say I remember a different time, but I do. There were small gifts that were really appreciated by those receiving them. I remember not only receiving gifts that were thoughtful, and just what I wanted, and I remember searching for just that perfect gift that cost under five dollars for my parents or siblings. It was a simpler time, even though Christmas was commercialized then, it was nowhere near the media advertising blitz it is today.
It is no wonder people are so messed up around Christmas, if your intake of expensive electronic gizmos and gadgets doesn’t equal the price of a small import car, the holiday is a failure. Where did we go wrong?
The Magic of Christmas
It doesn’t have to be that way, and it is simple to reclaim. If you are Christian then remember the actual meaning of the holiday. The message is one of love, power, and wonder. If you aren’t Christian but like the holiday, simply remember that the act of giving is a good thing, and has the power to transcend culture, distance, and differences of all kinds. Giving is a two-part transaction, which should never be forgotten. On the one hand, there is the giving of a gift. It simply has to be given with an open heart, to make someone else happy. That is it.
The second part of the transaction is receiving, with gratitude, and appreciation, that someone else in the world cares enough about you to take the time to find you a gift. There was a time in life, that I took gifts for granted myself, but age and time have made receiving gifts of any kind a wonder. I appreciate the thought, even more than the gift itself, because that is the real treasure anyway.
This is the magic that comes with this season each year and seems to be lost in the commercialism and greed that pervades the holiday. The act of giving is powerful, but the feeling of gratitude for the gifts and love of another can carry you to new heights. Having a gratitude in your heart can allow you to find the strength to make it through tough times because it is not really how much crap you accumulate in this life, it is how much others care about you and your presence in their lives that matters in the end.
It Will All Be OK
So when you start to feel overwhelmed with the season and find that you are getting frustrated with the commercialism and greed that seems to be all around you, then you need to look inside yourself and find the spirit of giving and the gratitude for all that you have. If that is your focus you will have a much more pleasant holiday season and life.
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