What can one say about the Christmas season in 2012? For me, it hasn't been a big hit so far... but alas, I will be heading to the stores tomorrow to finish off this season's shopping. I dread it, but I'm also enlivened by it. My passion is giving... my Gift as far as my Christ-like gifts, is giving, and it brings me more joy than anything else. To know I'm making someone smile, to bring a laugh, a tear of gratitude, a moment of pure enjoyment... that's what I live for. It takes many forms: from your standard gift giving to a moment of wise counsel, or the gift of sharing your home with a needy creature. I love every second of it, and it's what gives me hope for tomorrow.
This time of year I also see the lousy side of humanity. The people who loathe the holidays, and do everything in their power to ruin someone else's day... the commercialism that runs rampant from Halloween to new year's day... it's sad really. To spoil Christ's birthday with all of the rubbish of forcible gift exchange makes Christ's birth take a back seat to Santa's impending visit. Not that I don't wish I could sit on Santa's lap and share a photo with people of the silliness, but that's outside of my point. What is it worth, all of this hustle and over indulgence? Sharing the holidays with family and sitting together, longing to be elsewhere, or wishing the gift was better because what you received was more than what you spent... Trying to sit through a meal with people who may as well be strangers as family because of the year-long turmoil that wracks your family's relationships? It doesn't seem worth it, and I understand full well why people get depressed this time of year. I'm there in ways...
I watch friends who revel in the holiday spirit - decking their halls with loveliness and cheeky Santas just because they can and it's fun... baking until their storehouses are filled to the brim, hoping to share their bounty with friends and family who rarely make an appearance outside of this time of year. There's a moment of hope in these people, because no matter what, they love Christmas time, and want to make the most of it - if not for their loved ones, for themselves... I wonder if they feel fulfilled in what they accomplish, and hope that they're happy in all of the fussing they do.
Myself, even though I love to give, Christmas time is difficult. It is a result of missing my father, missing gift exchange because monetary limitations require it to be so for most of us, the anticipation of 'having to give' when you know your funds just don't allow it. I find my frugality outweighs my giving at times. Although I want to bless, I also want to save. How does that work?! It doesn't. You either do or you don't. No middle ground. So, out of my need to spend, I do so, wanting to give to all to my loved ones. If I don't open my doors, there is no Christmas. If I don't make the meal, there is only a step-meal where my brother won't go, and where we're just part of a crowd where we don't feel anything but anxiety even though everyone does their very best to make us feel like family. I don't want my family to not have Christmas together... and I'm very much alone in that reality. I live with family who can't get past their limitations in order to rise above and do the right thing. I live with the reality that, if I don't do, it won't get done. I dislike my reality, but it is what it is. I cannot change anyone but myself in this season. I choose to bless by opening my doors, making a meal and making sure my family has a place to go on Christmas day. It's not easy, but it is what my position in my family is.
All that to say, Christmas isn't easy... it's a time of giving, a time of sharing, a time of blessing. It can be a wonderful time of year, and should be for that matter. I must remove myself from my situation in order to realize what I have, what I can give, and what it is to be part of a season where not everyone has a place to go at Christmas, a family to share love and gifts with, a warm home to feel safe in. When you boil it down to what it really is, it seems silly that we become as anxious as we do. Myself included. How many moments of horror and ugliness in our world does it take to break us from what mindset we have, into a realization that we have it really good? I can't say that I don't get bogged down with all of it, but there comes a moment when you have to step back, look at the big picture, and say "man, my life is easy compared to..."
Don't let the World's Season get in the way of what this holiday is all about. It's about a savior, born for our salvation - born into humanity to take our sins away, and bring us out of the 'world' into a new life of love and forgiveness. Take time to breathe that in. Take a moment to step outside of your circumstances to look at what this season is really about - it's about the gift of life... the gift of everlasting life to those who choose it. The forgiveness of sins and the promise of an eternal life in heaven. Be blessed this season. Be more than a giver - be a receiver of the blessings of Christ. Be a reveler in the joys of a holy birth - a supernatural moment in time that brings us all the opportunity for so much more. Remind yourself that Christmas doesn't have to be the hustle and bustle, but a time of reflection and joy. Bring Christ back into Christmas.
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