Are you sick of Christmas yet? The first advertisement I heard touching on Christmas was in July. By the end of September Christmas was on the shelves at almost every store. This is not to mention the pressure of making sure you’ve not missed someone off your Christmas card list, attending numerous parties and school nativities, and, of course, finding the right presents for everyone
The stores push us and entice us to not only to give presents, but to spend more and more on our gifts for others, and ourselves. Our culture thrives on the idea that if a little is good, then more is better. But in the end, that attitude is self-defeating. John Rockefeller, founder of an American oil dynasty and the richest man in the world in the late 19th and early 20th century, was once asked, “How much money does it take to satisfy a man?” His reply? “A little bit more than he has.”
While it may have been started off by the gifts of the magi to the Christ child and the charitable giving of St Nicholas, the giving of gifts at Christmas to show love is not the main point of Christmas. Rather, it reminds us that there are other ways of showing love as well.
Jesus is also called ‘Immanuel’, which means ‘God with us’. At Christmas, God came down to be with us – and he will still be with us through his Spirit if we ask him to. So one way to show our love is to spend time with those we love. For many, especially children, that will be far more important, and beneficial, than any amount of presents.
Another way that Christmas shows us is the way of serving others. Yes, Jesus received the gifts and homage of the magi as a child, but later he states clearly that his purpose in coming to earth was not to be served, but to serve. How good are we at serving the needs of others? Little acts of kindness as well as charitable giving and service can make a world of difference. It’s ironic that the same John Rockefeller mentioned above was also the founder of modern philanthropy, the majority of his fortune being used to establish educational, medical and scientific research institutions for the good of everyone.
So this Christmas, maybe we can take some of the pressure off ourselves and not concentrate so much on the material side of Christmas, but take some time to just be with those we love and serve them and others. In that way we will be more truly taking part in the spirit of Christmas.
May the blessings of Christ be with you all this Christmas and in the New Year.
