Christmas is coming! I’m super excited because the holidays are my favorite time of year. I’m even more excited because this is the first holiday season where I’m not single, and my girlfriend will be spending Christmas with us this year. I’m so very blessed this year. However, that isn’t how corporate America would like me to see things right now.
Many Americans are more concerned with giving and receiving gifts than the true spirit of Christmas. Don’t get me wrong, I think gifts are awesome. However, I think we get too caught up in the “what” we are giving instead of the “why” we are giving.
The way I see it there are two very important reasons to celebrate Christmas. The first is in the name. Christmas is about Christ. Jesus came down to Earth in order to save us. The simultaneous grandeur and humility of the Christmas story remind us that the God of the creation and of the entire universe came as a human baby to poor parents. Gifts are to be given in His honor.
The second reason is for love of those dear to us. Being together with loved ones is so important. Just like the Grinch story, in all of its iterations, the holiday will come whether any decorations are up or not. It will be here whether you have presents or not. Being together and celebrating our loved ones is more important than giving and receiving gifts.
Ponder this: are you falling into the trap of being too concerned with the commercial aspects of the holidays? Companies and the people behind them need to make a living too, but do not pay them with your focus and heart. Your family, friends and loved ones deserve more than a gift given for an inadequate reason. Our God deserves the recognition that His plan began to come to fruition when Jesus was born in that humble manger.
The holiday is not about you or what you can buy or even what you can give. It’s about the blessings we already have and the joy in sharing those blessings with those we love and thanking God for the priceless gift He gave us.
Image credit: Gareth Harper