blog post

The Greatest Gift of All

 If you believe, as I do, that Christmas is about the greatest gift of all, God's son sent to earth to dwell among us, then all other gifts pale by comparison. But from the earliest celebrations gift giving has been a large part of the commemoration, no doubt because of the gifts given by the magi to the baby they found guided by the star. No matter how poor they might be, people have managed to find a way to present the people they care about with a gift of some sort as a part of the celebration.

 Many of us think gift giving has gotten way out of hand and too often become a focal point of Christmas. It's easier to understand among those who don't believe in the premise for Christmas but now consider it simply a cultural tradition. To me that's sad, but don't get me wrong, I love giving gifts to the special people in my life at Christmas time, but over the years we've simplified - and why should gift giving be only about material things?

 We all know many people dread the holidays for a number of reasons. It may be an elderly woman whose husband is dying in a hospice bed, or someone facing the first Christmas since a beloved spouse or child has died.  For those without family or many friends, Christmas can be extremely lonely.  For others it can ressurrect memories of some tragedy that occurred at Christmas time, pushing away their joy of what used to be. 
A co-worker years ago didn't seem to find any joy in the season; quite the opposite. There seemed to be no reason for it, and she was usually very upbeat. Finally one day she shared what had taken away her love of Christmas; a few years earlier she and several friends celebrated a girl Christmas party which included a soak in someone's hot tub. A young and healthy young woman's heart stopped beating in that sauna, and they couldn't get it started again. The event cast a pall over Judy's Christmas memories for years to come. What helped that year to restore her cheer was the Christmas day visit of good friends with a small child, who passed some of her innocent love of the lights and excitement on to Judy.

 There is no way to compare anything we can give materially or otherwise to what God gave to us. But we can give of ourselves or of what we have when the opportunity comes to put a little brightness into someone else's life if this season is hard for them. May we all be open those opportunities. 
It may simply be a plate of cookies with a card for the neighbor who will be alone on Christmas, or noticing the shabbily dressed person ahead of you in line at the supermarket is anxiously watching the tally to see if they have enough money to pay for their groceries.  Last Christmas eve my husband felt impressed to keep his eyes open to who he might give a twenty dollar bill. A solitary young woman - possibly homeless - he noticed stareing unhappily into space from her park bench moved him to believe she was the one. "Merry Christmas", he said, handing her the bill. He said the relief on her face was palpable, giving him as much joy as he gave to her.

 If you have the chance - and if you look for it, most likely you'll find one - bring even more enjoyment into your own Christmas celebration by brightening it for somebody else. I wish all who read this to give and to receive the true spirit of Christmas.

                      Merry Christmas!