The Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone in a whirlwind of traditions, turkey, family, shopping, and fun. The day is neatly filed in the memory banks, pumpkins and harvest leaves put away, Christmas garland and lights put up and we’re off! The official start of the Christmas Season is here, (even though the shopping malls started the day after Halloween).
I opened my eyes to a simple vow – this year is going to be different…
While for some it can be the most “wonderful time of the year,” for others it is a painful, lonely time. It can come and go quickly or drag on in agony. Christmas can be a time of sharing and laughter, giving, and celebrating or it can be a time of anxiety and confusion. And for some of you, it may just be another ordinary day. Regardless of what the Holiday Season is or brings to you, it is here! The question is: How do we make it different this year?
- Serve. Make this a time where you do something for others – not yourself. There are the old stand-bys: Christmas cookies to nursing homes, Toys to Children’s hospitals, Volunteering at Food Give Aways…all good…but what of your life can you sacrifice? What can you do to make someone’s life better? Because Jesus came to be a servant, Christmas really marks the season of servanthood. If you are good at decorating, offer to decorate the home of someone elderly- free of charge, of course! Cut firewood for someone who cannot do it themselves. Find a person in Walmart in the check-out-line and buy their purchases for them. Ask a young mother if you can Christmas shop for her or babysit while she does. Cover a co-worker’s job while he/she takes an hour or two off to run errands. Give of your time to enrich someone else’s day.
- Love. Sounds simple enough, huh? All we need is love, dah, dah, dah, dah…All we need is love, love, Love is all we need…The Beatles had the answer… In actuality it isn’t as easy as it sounds. For some of us, it is easier to love a stranger than those in our own family with whom we have issues. Make this the season to forgive and move on. Make this the season to reunite. Make this the season to be done with fighting and start finding ground to reunite. Some ice-breaking ideas: write a letter not about what is wrong but how YOU plan to make it right; ask them to lunch and make the understanding the conversation will be neutral; donate to a local charity in their honor. The way to break an iceberg is one chip at a time. Show others genuine love.
- Hope. Desperation is rampant this time of year. We either do not have enough money or enough time or enough friends or enough something. Stop looking at life in desperation. This Christmas Season realize this is the time Hope was born. Jesus Christ came to us in human skin so that we no longer had to live hopelessly. Hope is in the manger. Allow the Season to be about Him. Make a point to connect with Christ everyday. Sing His praises. Rejoice in His Holy Name. If you don’t have a church, find one. Life with meaning begins when you discover the meaning within the manger.
- Joy. “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart…” It’s not at the Mall or in parties or wrapped up in gifts, joy comes from the heart. Find your joy. Smile at others. Say Merry Christmas even if you don’t feel very “merry.” Decide even though you have a reason to be sad, you are going to be joyful. Joy comes from God. It’s a choice we make every morning when our feet hit the floor. You may think there is only one Grinch around, but Dr. Seuss may have been talking about you! Allow your heart to grow this season.
- Peace. Ahhhh…the big one. Most of us hear the words, “Let there be peace on earth” and we think of the Middle East. We tend to skip over the next line, “and let it begin with me.” Stop stirring up trouble. Stop arguing. Stop being disgruntled. Stop complaining. Find your inner dove and start flapping your wings!. If there are people you need to stay away from – stay away from them. If there are people you need to reunite with, do your part. If they don’t do theirs, at least do yours.
