Each year, as the Christmas season begins to go into full gear, we hear the complaint that Christmas has become commercialized and that we have forgotten its true meaning. î When we make that observation, it must come from a nostalgic time, perhaps when we were children, and we remember that Christmas is about the sacrifice of the Christ child and that the gifts we give reflect the gift of life that God has brought to us.
Even if Christmas is not full of religious imagery, the stories, carols, and traditions of the Christmas season point to values that are more about giving to each other out of the heart and being together as a family than the economic side of the season and the hustle and bustle that can weary the soul more than bless it.
That is why it might be time to try a different kind of Christmas this year. If you feel that your family has gotten too bogged down in the commercial aspect of the holiday, maybe there is way to remind each other that Christmas is about giving between people and sharing with others to allow there to be ìpeace and good will among menî.
One way to bring the spirit of the season back is to reintroduce your family to the idea of doing something for someone less fortunate in a very dynamic and meaningful way. Oh sure, we like to give a few coins to the Santa on the corner collecting for the Salvation Army or buy a toy for the tree at the mall that will eventually be given to a poor child. But you and your family do not get to enjoy the thrill of giving to someone less fortunate and enjoying the fellowship, the gratitude, and the sense of bonding that kind of giving can bring when done face to face.
To get to that next level of meaningful giving to others, nothing can beat a good family community service project during the holidays to bring home the season's true meaning to everybody in the family. Dozens of causes around the holidays always need lots of help, and you can volunteer your family to be involved during the Christmas season. Suppose your family must start a project before working with the less fortunate. In that case, you can help with the collection of goods and the organization of what is given in preparation for delivery.
Many civic organizations collect mountains of toys, clothing, and canned goods that will be split into packages for thousands of families who need such things during the holidays. You can find such an organization and make an appointment to meet at their warehouse and help sort out the goods that have come in and package them up for delivery. It's hard work, but as you and your family work to prepare these presents for others lovingly, it is much more meaningful and in touch with the season's spirit. Everybody will remember that Christmas for a long time to come.
But to make the joy of Christmas become the joy of reaching out to others, serving Christmas dinner to people experiencing homelessness or to those who are down and out will be an experience that will change the way your children view Christmas forever. You do not necessarily have to open your home to strangers to show hospitality to others. Understandably, having people you donít know around your table at home could be a little frightening and more than you are ready to take on.
But if you can include in your Christmas Eve or Christmas Day festivities that after the gifts are opened and the big Christmas meal is done, everybody gets in the cars and goes to the shelter to share their love and to serve dinner to others the way they have generously received it, that will go a long way toward capturing the spirit of the holiday for those you are helping and for your family as well. For all involved, it will indeed be a different kind of Christmas.
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