I grew up being very excited about Christmas. I always waited anxiously for Christmas morning to open presents. I knew exactly what I wanted because the toys were always advertised on TV. I remember one year staying up to catch "Santa" but fell asleep. I woke up the next morning and found a half eaten cookie which I quickly placed in a plastic ziplock bag as evidence. I would attempt to compare the teeth marks to those of my parents. Before I could do it the cookie "mysteriously" disappeared. As I watch people nowadays and see the ever present flash and spectacle of TV commercials promoting the holidays, I wonder why the spirit of Christmas gets lost for people.
Christmas is not supposed to be about the presents. It is not about what you get from others but what you give to others, right? The spirit of Christmas is meant to inspire each of us to be a little better than we have been. It is supposed to be a good thing but I believe some people lose that spirit as they get older, move through life and settle down into a more "realistic," "grown-up," and even grumpier role. Why is this?
Ultimately I believe the answer lies in people losing spirit generally, not just around the holidays. However, being so heavily bombarded with decorated trees, pretty lights and hopeful Christmas ballads, one must be in a special kind of rut to feel disconnected from the spirit of Christmas. What causes this rut you ask?
Well, ultimately we as individuals cause this usually slow decline in our spirit, but I do believe there are some individuals out there that would have the rest of us feel as spiritless as they do. I know what you're thinking. Is it possible I am suggesting some sort of concocted, planned conspiracy to destroy the spirit of Christmas? Is it possible there are some nasty, mean real-life Grinches and Scrooges? I say yes.
Who are these cold-hearted calculating bullies?
Anyone that has promoted the idea that Christmas is about the hard, solid, physical universe things that we give one another and not about the feeling that we get doing something kind and pro-survival for one another. Think about how much Christmas has become more and more about the things and not about the feelings.
We see people waiting in line at midnight to push and pull their way through others to get that perfect gift, sometimes for themselves, and leave their fellow man in the dust. The TV still promotes the hottest toys except now they're bigger, better and more expensive. The things have slowly and surely trapped us little by little.
Luckily, not everyone falls prey to this nearly unavoidable calamity called the physical universe. There are still those heroic, inspiring individuals who will do a good deed or two instead of give a gift. They will help someone, not with a fish but with a lesson on how to fish. There are those good souls who this holiday season will do what they most likely continue to do year round, which is remind the rest of us how unimportant the things we want are and how important we as individuals are.
This Christmas, do not lose spirit because there are those spirits out there that are demonstrating through their example how much life is not about the things as much as its about the spirit moving, shaping and giving those things. Without the spirit behind the hands that make a toy, that toy would not exist.
I want to thank all the makers of toys, the creators of good will and peace, the imaginations that shape our world each day, but especially during the holidays. They are the true gifts I value in this world. I leave my cookies out for them.
