Christmas Spirit

When I think of Christmas, the first thought that
pops into my mind is of a snow-filled street. Snow is
lightly falling , and the glitter of colourful Christmas
lights is bouncing gleefully off of the snow, as if they
aren’t plugged into electricity at all, but rather some-
thing else—something magical, something not quite of
this world, but still somehow a mystical part.
Ace Collins once wrote, “The "First Christmas" was a
simple time of beauty and wonder. The birth of Christ
was less about celebration than it was about family.
Though many today may grow tired of the commerciali-
zation of Christmas, in reality it has opened the door for
Christ to once again become the focal point of the season,
and for family, especially children, to be at the heart of
the celebration.” This might be true, at least in part. I
mean…I hadn’t thought of it like this before. I had been
one of the ones who had been growing ‘tired of the
commercialization of Christmas’. When I think of it this
way, though, it makes sense to me. Sure, we buy a
bunch of presents, some of which will most likely be
thrown in the farthest corner of our closets. But who
cares? Whether the presents are used or not isn’t what
is important. The importance is what the presents do:
they bring our families together.
When Jesus was born, he had only his mother Mary,
his mother’s husband Joseph, whom he would grow to
know as his earthly father and mother. There were
bunch of farm animals too, including my favorite, the
cow. They were there as a family, to celebrate life to-
gether. Now, maybe you don’t think we should buy pre-
sents for Christmas, but for some people, it’s their only
excuse to see their family. I know I don’t see my
brother and sister-in-law and their children nearly as
much as I like. In fact, I don’t really see them much at
all any more. But Christmas and the presents we have
exchanged have always been a reason for us to get to-
gether and spend time together. Regardless, didn’t Je-
sus get presents for his birth? The Three Wise Men ar-
rived some two years after with gifts of frankincense,
myrrh, and gold.
There is also another side of Christmas: the side of
Christmas that a lot of people prefer to focus on these
days. “Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time
we love, every time we give, it's Christmas”, said Dale
Evans. What I believe he is speaking of is not always
giving of physical things, commercial items, but giving
of yourself. Showing someone that you love and care
about them is a gift no words can describe— a true
Christmas present.
We tend to limit Christmas to one time a year. No,
Christmas extends beyond Demember. Christmas is
every minute of every hour of everyday. Christmas is
kindness in action, love in community and the spirit of
giving. Christmas is in the beauty of the spirit drawn to
another in harmony when there seems to be nothing
but strife. “Christmas is love in action,” Dale Evans
says. Love in action! It isn’t just saying to someone, “Oh
yeah, I love you. Where’s the turkey? Where are my
presents?” It’s so much more. It’s a feeling, an emotion,
not quite tangible, but ever present.
Christmas brings people together in a spirit of
love. When you sit down to whatever food you typically
dine on at Christmas with family or friends sitting
across from you, when you’ve made the conscious ef-
fort to be with people you care about and love, that is
the love of Christmas in action. That is what the birth of
Christ is all about.
The spirit of Christmas is not all about the presents,
and it’s not about the food— these are just catalysts
that help bring together. This is what the truest spirit
of Christmas, what that very first Christmas was all
about—being together with those who matter most to
you.To me, I would say that the ones who matter most
to me are my mother, brother, sister-in-law, nephew
and niece. But are they the only ones meaningful to
me? They do mean the world to me, of course. But
there are friends out there that mean the world to me
as well. And I’d love to be with them all the time too.
Including Christmas.
There are times when I long to be with those that I
care about. I just wish that those times of gathering like
Christmas and Easter and other such holidays weren’t
the only times that I got to see them. I always find it to
be a gift just to be able to see them. I love to see them.
But maybe that’s why Dale Evans said that Christmas
was love in action. The truest form of Christmas doesn’t
happen on December 25th but whenever we are with
those we love and care for. Whenever I am with a
friend that I love that I haven’t seen in a long time, that
is a gift, the Christmas spirit in it’s truest form. A hug
from a nephew, such a sweet little gift, is the spirit of
Christmas. And it could happen in the middle of sum-
mer, on the hottest day of the year.
“Remember,” Cindy Lew-Hoo says, “the greatest gift
is not found in a store nor under a tree, but in the
hearts of true friends.” So, the next time you worry
about which present you’re going to get for your birth-
day or under the tree at Christmas, remember those
presents don’t matter. Money and presents can bring
you together with those that you care about, but most
important is that you are with someone you deeply
care about. This Christmas season, I ask you to look for
a family member, look for a friend. Find someone you
can connect to. That is the greatest gift of all. That is
where you will find the spirit of Christmas. And do
yourself a favour, don’t just look for them at Christmas.
There is an acapella music group from British Columbia
who sing a song, “Tell Them Before It’s too Late”. Heed
to these words. If there is someone you love and care
about, tell them.
The Hutterites have a saying, “Live as if you’ll live
forever, but live today as if it is your last.” The spirit of
Christmas has given us a gift. Use it wisely. In those
gifted moments with those you care for, spend them as
if they’ll last forever. Live as though they won’t be there
forever, treasure them, and tell them how much they
mean to you.
With that I leave you these words by Leo Buscaglia:
“A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my
world.” May your world be one long Christmas and may
love sprinkle down like snow upon it every single day.
-Nico Anderson