The Ho-Ho-Ho of Christmas ...

The Ho-Ho-Ho of Christmas is not always about Cute Stocking Stuffers

There is nearly nowhere you can go at this time of year that does not display some type of reference to Christmas. In fact, displays of this holiday begin to appear in different places in early October.

For some, Christmas represents a spiritual event(s). For others, it’s shopping and gift-giving or exchange. Some view it as a gathering of family, friends, parties, or a combination of any of these. Television and radio commercials target consumers with the words, “In the spirit of Christmas,” as they urge you to shop and buy. Far too often, this spirit wreaks of commercialism and triggers stress, overspending, and debt.

Discussing the origins of Christmas to some might be a real downer. But I would fall far short of my website name and mission if I did not at least mention that December 25th began as a holiday in cultures where pagan festivals took center stage. Saturnalia (god of Saturn) and Juvenalia (children of Rome) were celebrated in Rome as the forerunners of the Christmas holiday. In fact, during the American Revolution era, Christmas celebrations faded from existence for almost an entire century.

Despite it’s less than bright beginnings, Christmas has the potential to bring good tidings. Our Christmas gift bags would carry better if they were not filled with tissue paper of debt and disappointments over unimportant things like the cheap gift set, an ugly tie, over-baked cookies, whether you hang the Christmas tree upside down, or uninspiring disagreements over the use of “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.”

In the midst of every shopping spree and every home which celebrates this holiday, there should be included the gift addressed as love. (I Corinthians 13:4)

“Love is kind.” Furnish a need – give a pair of socks to a homeless person or a hug to a lonely neighbor. (Luke 10:25-37)

“Love is patient.” Whenever you are driving, learn to wait until a wheelchair-bound or old person reaches the other side of the street, even if you miss your light. Agreed, your time is valuable, and the shopping lines are very long. Take a deep breath and smile.

“Love always hopes.” Give someone a kind word or thank you (maybe a store clerk) to show them they are valued. Call a friend or family member who cannot be with you on Christmas day.

“Love keeps no record of wrongs. Like Sister Helen, the nun in the film Dead Man Walking, push past the barriers of fear and hate and show love. No one likes to stand in line to return items. Somehow we tend to selectively forget that everyone, even you, makes mistakes. Forgive others, as it is written, seventy times seven. Your peace of mind awaits you.

If we would all tie a red ribbon around our finger when we shop or celebrate, it might help to remind us that we become part of the true reason for the season when we demonstrate love.