Christmas
Gifts
“Step
outside of ordinary time: be of good cheer, give some real gifts, make some
good food, and spend more time than usual with friends and family. The best way
to deal with the exhaustion of the holidays is not to withdraw but to enter
thoughtfully.”
Thomas
Moore (The Soul of Christmas, p. 143; Franciscan Media, 2016)
Christmas is all about the birth of love and
compassion. Think about that for a second. Love and compassion. It’s like the
instructions given when you fly on an airplane; they tell you if the cabin
depressurizes the oxygen masks will drop down—put yours on first before you try
to help others! Start Christmas morning with love and compassion for yourself
and all the rest will fall into place.
Christmas
is not about the number of gifts given, frantically shopped for, magnificently
wrapped to create a buzz under the tree. Remember that Jesus was wrapped in swaddling
cloth and laid in a plain wooden manger. He didn’t even have a bow. One gift, thoughtfully
chosen, and given with love, is far superior to many gifts chosen without care
or thought.
This is a time of
celebration, whether you are Christian or not. All religions have Solstice Festivals
of Light this time of year. They are older than Christianity and meant to
celebrate everything and everyone who brings light into your life. It’s a time
to draw near the people you care about, close enough to look them in the eye—be
present with them, listen to what they say. The gift of your time and attention is precious.
When we get past the
anxiety of shopping, and cooking, and entertaining, and just claim a calm
moment to sit down and focus on the truth about Christmas, we know that this
time of year is about renewal and rebirth—of the sun, and of the divine child, and of the
new life within yourself. What is being born in you this Christmas? Will you
nurture it like Mary nurtured Jesus? That would be a beautiful and worthy gift to
give yourself and others. Merry Christmas, and peace to you all.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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