I remember as a little girl the excitement that Christmas would bring. I’m dating myself here, but I remember waiting with excited anticipation for the department stores’ big catalogs to come in the mail so that my sister, my brother, and myself could pore over the pages to let mom and dad know all the toys we just HAD to have for Christmas. We had so many ‘wishes’.
My parents did a really good job at keeping us grounded in the real meaning of Christmas, though. We usually got several things each, but never just piles of things. They would point us to the real meaning of Christmas, which is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ coming to earth in a robe of flesh to live among men as an example to us all. Then to give His life as a payment for the sins of the whole world. I am so thankful that my parents kept the true meaning of Christmas in our home. I can honestly say that today my two siblings and myself are not materialistic people, and we have raised (and are raising) families that are not materialistic but know the joy of giving!
Too often today people are focused on what they can get. We see whole generations who have a “give me” mentality, or “you owe me” attitude. You see it in the advertising and sales of the stores; they want your children to believe that they just have to have the newest toy or electronic. Parents, many times, are made to feel guilty if they do not give their children everything they want. Children, many times, do not even understand the concept of giving to others.
We need to get the focus back on the Christ of Christmas, He gave ALL that He had, so that we might have a hope and future in Heaven with Him for all eternity. We need to get back to teaching this generation, and generations to come, to ‘wish’ for the right things. We need to wish for a kinder world that helps people less fortunate than we are; to give a hand up, not a hand out. We need to wish for more selfless giving of ourselves and our time to make someone’s life better, instead of always seeing how we can get more. We need to wish for more love and caring for those around us who are hurting and who think no one cares. We need to wish for more people to stand up and make a difference for good in this world. Let’s celebrate this Christmas season with family and friends, keeping our priorities in the right place!
