The Forgotten Meaning

Christmas is coming so fast I wish I could put the brakes on and slow it down.  Everyone is frantically running around doing last minute shopping, wrapping presents, and baking cookies and pies and cakes. . .all in preparation for Christmas.  As we are all in a mad rush for the right present and the perfect deal, hatefully snatching up an item quicker than another, you kind of want to step back and say "what the hell?!"  Why has Christmas become so commercialized?  Better yet. . .why have we allowed Christmas to become commercialized?  If you were not from around here, you could still identify where the malls are. . . .it's the exits that are backed up with bumper to bumper traffic, everyone impatiently pushing the person in front of them an inch at a time.

Millions of people get in debt every year at Christmas and then spend the rest of the year trying to pay off their credit cards so they can do what. . . .the exact same thing again next year.  Is this really what this time of year means?  We have forgotten the meaning of the holiday season. I like shopping for others just like the next person, but I am finding that the older I get, I see that it's not about the number of gifts or the amount spent but about the thought.  Remember reading How the Grinch Stole Christmas or even watching the movie?  The Grinch finds out what the true meaning of Christmas is.  Spoiler alert:  it's not about the presents!

The three wisemen came bearing gifts to Jesus - gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Due to the commercialization of the season, can you imagine wrapping that for your kid?  These gifts are symbolic just like the gifts we give, however what we give does not have as much purpose and meaning as on that special day.  I don't think video game or gaming system can be symbolically and purposefully compared to the gifts of the Magi.  It's not that I am putting anyone down for what is bought, I am just concerned over the forgotten meaning of the holiday season and whether the younger generation really fully understands the purpose of this day.

Let's take time out from the commercialization and actually celebrate the birth of Jesus.  Read to your kids the story of the birth of Jesus.  Let's celebrate his life, celebrate the life we were given, the true gifts we are surrounded by - our family, our friends, even nature.  Step out of your day-to-day routine and sit in the woods for a few hours, listen to the world around you - to its life, to its sounds and feel the onset of its peace.  Find awe and amazement over everything you encounter - the rising and setting of the sun, the billions of stars in the sky, the sounds of the birds. . . just everything and feel blessed.  Be thankful to be alive. Be thankful for the sacrifice.  Be thankful for the birth of Christ.

Surround yourselves with those you love and reflect on the true meaning of this season.  Have a safe, wonderful and meaningful Christmas!