Christmas Is a Time To Give

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As we approach Christmas 2010 and the upcoming New Year 2011 there is excitement, anticipation and memories to be made that will last a lifetime in the upcoming weeks. For many, celebrating Christmas is a time to reflect on childhood memories and to create and make new lasting memories with your friends or for your own family, children or grandchildren. It’s a time of joy, and a time for family and loved ones.

For me and others, it’s this time for family but also a celebration that dates back thousands of years to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. For others that are not religious or follow Christianity the Holiday means other things. Each is entitled to their own faith and traditions and I am not one to pass judgment.

I do however want to comment on what I feel can be shared by all regardless of faith and that is the great joy that can be felt by giving to others. As I get older, each year holidays like Christmas become more and more special to me. I love to sit back and watch my nieces and nephews dive into their gifts with reckless abandon and smiles from ear to ear! They tear away the wrapping paper in a blink of an eye and to watch their eyes light up is the best feeling I can describe. It takes me back to those days as kids when me, my brother and sister would wake up at the crack of dawn to run downstairs and see what gifts were under the tree, then run to mom and dad’s room to wake them up so we could get to those gifts!

Now as I grow older, I also realize that for all of the wonderful memories I’ve been blessed with and continue to look forward to making each year, there are also those less fortunate. I try to do my part to help where I can including buying gifts for toys for tots and recently for a name-less single mother with three children from my church that has requested help this Christmas to bring smiles to her children, but do I do enough? Not hardly. I’m certain I could do much more but knowing that I can help even in a small way put a smile on a face of someone feels good. I want to challenge you to keep the joy of giving as a focus this year and share the neat poem written below that sums it all up!

The Joy of Giving
John Greenleaf Whittier

Somehow, not only for Christmas,

But all the long year through,

The joy that you give to others

Is the joy that comes back to you;

And the more you spend in blessing

The poor and lonely and sad,

The more of your heart's possessing

Returns to make you glad