Christmas, whats it all about anyway ?

This morning the air was chilly in the house, once again the fire had died down in the night.
Deep sleep, the kind that comes from honest hard work, combined with piles of warm covers, never gave way to waking to feed the hungry iron stove.
The sky is the blue of baby boy things, somewhere between bright and pale. Not a cloud to be found.
Puffs of steam like a small old train engine, make me laugh as I breath hard to make them come out my nose as chores are done.
The ground, emerald green just last week, is now brown and sleepy looking. The trees bare after a week of cold winter winds.
It's so peaceful out, so quiet and still. I saw two deer just the other day, one road over. I keep thinking about them being my neighbors. Yesterday was such a contrast, to this quiet morning. I was heading off to the gym then shopping in a packed store, in a packed parking lot, in a busy city. People spending and spending. Consuming or is that being consumed ?
For one day, December 25th people are spending money beyond means or even spending what most families in third worlds do not make in a years time. What would the world be like if we spent just a token amount on a gift for a loved one, or better yet, made a gift and gave the money saved to people who are really hungry ? Showing the true nature of what Christmas is about. Are we not celebrating the birth of a man who came to tell us all about loving one another, about loving others as we love ourselves ? Didn't He come to show us a love that was so powerful that He gave his life for us ?
Have we forgotten what that kind of love is like ?
Oh sure we stick a dollar or two in the Salvation Army Kettle, we may buy a toy for the angel tree or even give more in church this season, but what about really giving. Giving our hearts. Giving our compassion. Those things are paid with more than money. Finding that same kind of compassion that Christ shows us and sharing it. He doesn't give us more than we need. His love is not like that.
But do we give our children more than they need so they grow to expect, to demand, to forget the real meaning of the seasons gift giving ? It becomes all about the "I wants" and not about the joy of receiving tokens of love. Tokens being the key word here.
Children are bored these days, and they have so much. They are hardly able to amuse themselves for 5 minutes, without a thousand scenes flashing before them by some form of screen entertainment.
Children bored and yet have rooms full of toys and gadgets. Something is wrong. It seems less is better, peppered with deep and abiding love.

Step back, be brave, put away caring about expectations and give what is good and not just what the commercials show. If your family all spends hundreds on gifts, change that. Think that the money spent on an X Box could feed a single family in many countries of the world for a year. Or the family on the other side of the tracks for a month.
A big screen TV could provide pajama's for how many cold children this winter ?
Your children, your grandchildren, your husband or sister needs what ? A gift card, the only thing you can think of to give them since they have everything and besides you consider it easier to give than shop for something personal ? Do they need nothing, have everything ? Give them your time. Give them a memory, time spent together.
Give your children a sled and take them sledding. Give them ice skates and then take them skating.
Give them books and read to them so they can learn to love the written word and learn about something new.
When they are older give them gifts they need to help them become better adults. Think hard, ponder what they need to help them in life. Spend more time thinking of the perfect gift than on how much you need to spend.
Give them sensibility and give loved ones gifts that will not rust and decay. Show your loved ones that simplicity is a gift that cannot be taken away.

Christmas 1944, my father and uncles all off to war. Simple gifts, simple stockings, simple white tissue wrapped packages, and an understanding that life was and is the greatest gift.