A Little Less of December 25

Merry Christmas!

Today is Christmas Eve, and tomorrow is the big day. How many times in recent weeks have you heard people say things like, “I can’t wait until Christmas is over,” “It’s such a hassle,” “I can’t afford Christmas,” and other such comments?

Maybe part of the reason some people can start to feel negatively about Christmas, both the day and the season, is because we it is viewed as a burden. There is often times additional stress at work, as the retail season pushes into high gear. For others - I’m thinking of the bookkeepers - there is a flurry of yearend preparation. There’s the stress of planning get-aways to visit families, or to host family members. For students, sememster tests loom. And the very idea of giving gifts can begin to transition into a perceived demand. With “I want” and “Can I have” beginning too many requests.

I know people who become anxiety ridden over the idea that the gifts they give won’t be “good enough” or will be “the wrong thing”. How can a gift be the wrong thing?

So much stress!

Today’s American society sometimes counters all of this with the simple advice, “Keep Christ in Christmas.” That’s fine and dandy, but how do we go about keeping Christ in Christmas?

You can start by attending one of many Christmas Eve services in your community. This does not commit you to joining that church, or any church for that matter. It is simply a step closer to connecting to your own faith. Join in the celebration and praise.

A possible next step is to consider behaving in a caring and giving manner throughout the year. Give of yourself, of your time and your talents. Carry the spirit of giving right on into the New Year and into your everyday life.

I recently saw the following sage advice: Want to Keep Christ in Christmas? Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, forgive the guilty, welcome the stranger, care for the ill and love your enemies.

How can we do these things? There are no hungry here in My Home Town, are there? If you believe this, maybe you should make some calls and learn more. In My Home Town, there is an office in the courthouse which administers assistance to families in need. There are many families who need help, not just in the Christmas season, but all throughout the year.

The local food pantry is in constant need of donations the help feed the hungry. The out of school backpack program is another example of a local group that is helping to feed the hungry - in My Home Town. The program provides nutritious snacks and easy to prepare foods that are sent home with school aged children who may otherwise go hungry over the weekends and holiday breaks. Contact any of the local church offices if you are interested in helping out.

Surely, no one is going naked in our community! No, but there are people who need more economical clothing options and warm winter coats, hats, scarves and mittens. When you are putting your family’s new clothes into the closets and drawers, why not take a few minutes to cull some of the items that are still in good shape, but have been pushed to the back. Take them, wash them, and donate them to be sold for others who need them. The items will be available for pennies on the dollar at the thrift shop if it is run as a charity, making the items more attainable for those whose budgets are stretched too thin. Funds raised by sales at the thrift store are in turn are utilized to help those families in need in our community. Also watch for the opportunity to donate outerwear to the share the warmth or coats for community programs which may be available in Your Home Town.

Forgiving the guilty may be difficult. But it can be extremely liberating for you. I’ve heard it said that refusing to grant forgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting it to hurt the other person. Holding on to old hurts just causes them to fester and brings out bitterness in you. Develping a forgiving spirit can begin with small steps, like being happy for a person when something good happens to them, rather than begrudging them their good fortune. Choose the kinder route.

Welcome the stranger. A person remains a stranger until you actually get to know them, not just until the first time you are introduced. Invite them to attend a community activity, invite them to meet you for lunch and get to know them. Invite them to your church or to join a community club that you are active in. Invite them to enroll their children in Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts or 4-H or ... Welcome them.

Care for the aged and the ill. When I was in about third grade, my mother began working at the nursing home. Most days after school, I would walk over to the nursing home and help - usually with crafts or activities. Other times I would take dogs or lambs or horses to the the home so the residents could see them. And for all of that, I am still not comfortable visiting people in the nursing home.

In recent years, I have often visited loved ones in nursing homes. Sometimes I go with my family members, and sometimes I go alone. I am still not comfortable visiting people in the nusing home. But don’t the residents deserve to be visited by someone? Can’t you and I make time to stop in and say “Hi, I’m glad to see you” - you might just make their day. What about our senior citizens who live on their own? Do they live two doors down from you? Do you know if they are doing alright? Do you know if they need help with anything? Care for the aged.

Caring for the ill. This is tricky. You can take chicken soup to the neighbor who isn’t feeling well. Maybe you can prepare some freezer meals for someone who is undergoing medical treatments. How else can you help the ill? You can attend benefits and make donation - you never know when the tables could be turned and it could be your family that is in need of assistance and support. You can visit people who are homebound. You can donate toward programs like hospice which provide so many services to so many in our community. You could volunteer to help with such programs. And you can pray for healing, for strength, for knowledge and skill of the doctors and nurses.

So when the lights flicker out on the Christmas tree, the crumpled wrapping paper has been pushed to the curb, the kids have retired to their rooms to become consumed by their new electronic devices and you are sitting there wondering where the magic of Christmas has gone, consider these things. Perhaps the way to keep Christ in Christmas is to make less of the December 25 holiday, and make more of the blessings you have to give throughout the year.

Merry Christmas, and God's blessings of Peace, Love and Joy to all!