|
For many of us, it is a time of joy, a time of celebrating,
giving, getting, and being more generous with our dollars as well as
our hearts. But, if you asked ten people why the days between
Thanksgiving and New Year’s are the “Most wonderful time of the
year,” you would probably get ten different answers.
For some, it is the decorations. Who can help but smile and feel
warm inside when the tree is put up, and the lights are lit - the
poinsettias sit by the front door; the dining room table is adorned
with evergreens and candles - the wreath hangs on the front door,
and the stockings hang over the fireplace. Someone recently said
that Christmas decorations are our gift to ourselves, to warm our
hearts and feed our soul with the spirit of the holiday.
When asked, surely several will say that the best thing about this
time of year is the food! Who can deny the fun of fudge, and
Christmas cookies? Who can resist the aroma of a fat turkey in the
oven or freshly baked bread on the table? Food is a big part of our
society today, but it is never bigger than at Thanksgiving and
Christmas. Food represents our wellbeing, our ability to provide for
our family and friends. We pile on the mashed potatoes and cut the
pecan pies, and sit down at a table with family all around. Our
hearts are filled with happiness, and we also experience, and
sometimes express, our gratitude for what we have, for who we have,
and for the time we are all together.
Many look forward to all the social activities of the season.
Friends open their homes and invite us in; we spend time visiting
and telling stories on each other, reliving old memories and making
new ones. For some of us in our busy hectic lives, those reunions of
sorts, are what hold us over throughout the coming year, as we find
ourselves too rushed and rattled with everyday life to stop and
enjoy our friends.
For parents, a big part of the season are the school plays, the
music recitals, and the church programs. Our kids that we sometimes
think are the devil incarnate turn to saints as they pull on old
bathrobes and wrap towels on their heads to become shepherds, or don
a white sheet and a gold tensile halo that transforms them into the
angels we know in our hearts they really are.
For kids, the most wonderful part of the year has to include Santa
Claus! There is a certain expectation that Santa is watching and
making his list of good little girls and boys. Our children become
enthralled with the wonder of it all. Have they been good enough?
Will Santa find them on Christmas Eve? And what about the boxes
under the tree? What is in them? Do we dare pick one up and shake
it?
For some of us, it is the most wonderful time of the year, because
it is time to shop! It’s not really about the task of shopping; it’s
about trying to find that perfect gift for someone we love. The task
of shopping, can be daunting, but the job is made more pleasant as
we stop and consider; what is that most perfect gift for our spouse,
our parents, or our children. We want to find a gift that when they
tear open the wrapping, they will exclaim with joy as their eyes
light up, and they look on the bestower with love and appreciation.
[to top of second column] |
But why is that so important to us? Perhaps it is our way of
trying to reflect the ultimate gift of God; his only Son, our
Savior, who was given to the world as a gift from the Father. The
Son, who ultimately gave himself as a gift, as well. As we consider
the Christ Child during this holiday season, we have to see the
whole picture. We see the birth, the life, the sacrifice of life,
and the resurrection, all culminating in that perfect gift. When we
open our hearts to receive it, we can exclaim with joy and look on
our Heavenly Father with love and appreciation.
Though there may be many other reasons why one would consider this
the most wonderful time of the year, one would hope that charity
would be part of the mix. At this time of year, our hearts are more
open to those in need, especially children. While we should perhaps
be charitable all through the year, the thought of kids with no toys
or gifts under the tree, parents who are struggling to buy
groceries, and grandparents who are trying to keep a family intact
during a hardship, drives us to open our wallets and be more
generous with our giving. It is only fitting that it should be so.
While we joke about Christmas curmudgeons, the fact is, this time of
year is not the most wonderful time of the year for many, and as we
look at ourselves and what we have and what we can be thankful for,
it is good to remember that there are those right here in our
community that do not have.
While some are struggling financially, others may be struggling with
health and other hardships. Our duty should be to remember them, to
reach out to them personally and to pray for them privately, that
our joy, our feeling of the most wonderful time of the year should
be spread to them in some small portion, some small way.
American poet Grace Noll Crowell penned it very well when she wrote:
Let Us Keep Christmas
Whatever else be lost among the years,
Let us keep Christmas still a shining thing;
Whatever doubts assail us, or what fears,
Let us hold close one day, remembering
It's poignant meaning for the hearts of men.
Let us get back our childlike faith again.
So, to that end, let us keep Christmas, let us share Christmas,
and make it a most wonderful time of year not just for ourselves and
our loved ones, but for all humanity, both here at home and all
around the world.
This holiday season, May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
|
