people this holiday season is about rampant
commercialism, keeping up with the Joneses and rushing to keep
up with a hectic schedule, we should all jump off the speed
train and take time to not only appreciate the true meaning of
Christmas but also to embrace the true spirit of Christmas.
Emotionally this is a difficult time of year for so many.
Depression and anger drive up the rates of suicide and domestic
violence. Stress builds upon stress to destroy the holiday cheer
of many.
The underlying problem for so many people is that they focus
all their energy on what they do not have rather than embracing
what they do have — that is what Christmas spirit is all about.
Whether or not you are an ardent Christian, if you live in the
Western World then you know that the true meaning of Christmas
is to celebrate the birth of Christ. The Christ child is a
symbol of love, light, hope and peace that makes this such a
joyful season for true believers. However, even among the
believers, there are some for which this message is not enough
to overcome the depression, anger and stress of the season.
That is why it is so important to embrace the true meaning of
Christmas. You need to reach down within yourself to find the
spirit of Christmas. In order to embrace the true Christmas
spirit you must be willing to give. Give of yourself, your time
and your love, and give of your worldly possessions. Do not
think of the gifts you give to others as an obligation or duty,
but think of it as a symbol of your love for them. While no gift
can accurately reflect the love we feel for those who are near
and dear to us, we can show them that they matter by spending
time and thought to create or select a gift with meaning.
My son likes to make his gifts and spends a long time designing
and then creating these items. Granted, we could have bought a
sweatshirt with “world’s best grandpa” printed on by a factory,
but I expect that his grandfathers will cherish the shirts he
designed himself and then created with fabric paint –
misspellings, oddly-formed pictures and all. If you are
struggling with your Christmas spirit then perhaps you should
avoid the mall entirely this season and find a different way to
give?
Embracing the spirit of Christmas also means giving to those
beyond our immediate sphere as well, especially those most in
need. Obviously it is easy to throw some money in a Salvation
Army collection, and that is certainly worth doing, but if your
Christmas spirit needs a boost then perhaps you should try
something more hands-on.
Local churches, schools, and charitable organizations can
usually give you a list of opportunities to give and help. For
example, through my church we have taken up a shoebox
collection (creating an assortment of holiday gifts that will
fit into a plastic shoebox and then are shipped to need
children overseas) and bought coats and clothing for needy
children in our community. I helped wrap the coats and clothing
as well as contributed to both campaigns and it did wonders for
making me appreciate what I possess.
Embrace the spirit of Christmas and find the true meaning of
the season to bring more joy and happiness into your life.
About The Author: Deanna Mascle shares more Words Of
Inspirationat http://wordsofinspirationonline.com and
Inspirational Words at http://wordsofinspirationonline.info
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=111993
==================