Many
years ago when my children were small, I announced that I was not going to buy
anyone any more gifts for Christmas. The reason was simple: I no longer wished
to feel obligated, pressured and under the compulsion to give.
I
also did not want to motivate others to buy me gifts as a result of an
unwitting anticipation of pressure on my part. I was going to be free and set
others free to love and give, in the time of their own choosing. My family and
friends could now function from the goodness of their hearts rather than any
customary conditioning.
The
result was as you might expect; since everyone knew I was not under an
obligation to give anything for Christmas, none of my friends felt any
obligation to buy me anything either. So much for the spirit of Christmas!
For
the "what it's worth" department, I am not adverse to Christmas
festivities and merrymaking. I personally have no objection to my wife's
fondness for decorating the tree and putting up the various decorative lights
but in no way do I associate the seasonal fanfare with what Christmas really
means to me personally.
I
am not the Grinch that stole Christmas and I'm certainly not about to take away
all those joyous noises and sights kids enjoy.
Christmas
festivities do not stir religious faith in me the way they do others, nor do
they represent its more ominous pagan origin. I see all the merrymaking as a
fun family custom and focus of getting together. While there is indeed a deeper
spiritual significance to Christmas, it is always overshadowed by the center
ring of a three-ring circus; that is, glorifying a sensuous Santa Claus and
embracing one another rather than honoring the main event, the Christ child
coming into the world.
Christmas,
therefore, instead of arousing a formal spirituality, will find me amid all the
excitement becoming more quiet and sober, reflecting upon its deeper meaning.
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