Where did Christmas go?

Have you ever sat down and realized how great Christmas is? Every year we get a sense that oh snap now theres Christmas music everywhere now lets get our Christmas on!! But what does that mean? Does it mean getting a whole boat load of presents and then wait for Christmas day so we can open them? Is that just it?

Whatever happened to Christmas is not in the gift it's in the heart of you giving to one another that makes it Christmas. Somehow this message got lost in getting a new xbox or getting a flatscreen tv for ourselves and not really thinking about one another. Sure we would buy gifts to eachother and look forward to eating a huge feast. But then it's more about us then it is about helping someone get happier.

I remember this one time that I was 7 (i think...) and I was so excited about giving to the poor. My Dad scheduled on Christmas day we would help give gifts to the poor. I thought about it and imagined how great it would be to give gifts to little kids like me, gifts that they never really had. I remembered seeing the list of those poor kids had (alot of kids wanted sony walkmans) and thought i would like to have that . The days went on until it was Christmas day. I came out of my room and then there was my Dad. He waited for me to open my presents. I opened them and I said "WOW I LOVE IT!" I don't remember what it was. Then after all the gifts were opened and all my brothers opened theirs my Dad looked at me and said alright lets go. I looked at my toys and then looked back at my Dad and said "I don't want to go." then played on with my toys. I really wish my Dad told me firmly to go with him. But he was just shocked and went alone. I wish I went and did that service for those poor kids. It would have been more memorable than me playing with toys I have no idea i had now. Having that memory still repeats every year when I look back at this time.

So if lack of Christmas spirit effected me when I was 7, imagine kids now! Black Friday sales keep heating up to being riots. Children keep getting more selfish. And celebrating a Birth of someone that was completely selfless and somehow companies making this a selfish holiday for their benefit isn't what I think he had in mind.

So what is there to do to make the season actually a wholesome one? Give thought to giving. Not expensive gifts or not even gifts at all. Maybe giving of oneself to anyone's needs is enough. Give a little thought to the gifts you give rather than getting a new Iphone4s to anyone for Christmas. If they discovered this blog and knew you were following through with this for sure they would hate me. But your gift would be unforgettable if they feel the weight of your heart in it. Guaranteed!

Try this time and make Christmas Christmas again!