Christmas

Okay, well, it's happening again. It's something that should NEVER happen, but it does, every year, and it happens to most people. What? you ask?

Forgetting the true meaning of Christmas.

I do this every year. I make lists of what to buy people for Christmas, and without a doubt those lists are way too long, and then I stress out over how much I spend on each person and by the time the holidays are over, I cringe when I *balance* the checkbook. EVERY YEAR. And I know this going into the first Christmas shopping trip...and it still always happens.

But this year, I didn't get sucked into buying too many gifts and spending too much money. I almost did, I felt it coming on, and then, about 2 weeks, ago, I was reading someone's blog, (I can't remember who's it was!!) and it dawned on me AGAIN that Christmas is about Jesus's birth, the meaning of Christmas, and being thankful for the loved ones we have around us. After all, there wouldn't be this beautiful holiday without His birth and the story surrounding that magical moment. There wouldn't be a need for all the pretty lights and delicate wrapping paper and bows that we buy or make. There wouldn't be that urgency to get "the perfect" gift for that "someone special" on our list. And we certainly wouldn't be out spending money on all those gifts. But is this holiday really about spending money? Is it about giving gifts? Is is about receiving gifts? The wise men gave gifts to Baby Jesus in the manger, but they were different kinds of gifts, not the kind that we rush to Best Buy to get on sale or thos gifts that we go broke buying. The gifts that we sometimes forget to give are the ones that matter the most...the gift of love and forgiveness, and somewhere in there, spending time with people that matter the most to us.

I actually whipped out the Bible today just to read the story of Jesus's birth. I've heard it a million times, especially around Christmas time. But I wanted to really sit down and read it, and think about how "Christ" mas the day He was born was compared to how we celebrate Christmas now.

It's so different! Back then, the gifts that the wise men gave to Jesus were gold, frankincense, and myrrh, gifts that were made for "royalty" and someone very special. Is that how we give gifts now? Do we give the most important gifts to the ones we love? Do we give them unconditional love and accept them for who they are? Do we do this now? I don't feel like I do. Of course I give the gift of love to everyone around me, and most of the time forgiveness, but that's not good enough. It's not just what you give at this time of year, it's what we give ALL the time, all year round, because that's the time when it really matters, in the off-season.

This just really has me thinking about the true meaning of Christmas, the most colorful, wonderful, special, magical holiday of the year for Christians. I'm proud to be a Christian, and I'm proud to say that the true meaning of Christmas KEPT me from spending too much time in the malls and too much money from the checking account. I've always known that the best gift to give to anyone is love, but this year, I'm really giving it.