What Christmas Could Be

Yesterday I had an epiphany that will forever change the way I celebrate Christmas. I’ve gotten to the point in my life where I see Christmas quickly approaching, and I begin to stress about what in the world I’ll buy for my friends, family, and co-workers when it appears they already have everything you could ever imagine they could ever want or need. I also think about what kind of useless stuff I’ll be given this year that I’ll be obligated to wear to avoid hurting somebody’s’ feelings, or how I’ll be able to exchange the things I have no need for to only replace them with more stuff that will undoubtedly bring more clutter into my home. Is this what Christmas is suppose to do, encourage stress and commercialism in the name of tradition?

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus although there is strong dispute over the actual date of his birth. History records show the date of December 25 was originally chosen by the Romans many years before the birth of Christ to celebrate Saturnalia, a pagan Winter Solstice holiday which eventually was declared by Pope Julius in 350 AD to be the birth date of Jesus as a painless way to allow pagans and Christians a chance to share in the holiday, and possibly even get the pagans to convert to Christianity. If Christmas eventually evolved into the one day of the year that celebrates the birthday of someone who was undoubtedly the most generous person who ever lived, and gave everything of Himself to those who genuinely needed help, then shouldn’t we maybe do things that actually recognize what His contributions were suppose to teach us? With that being said, then my question is this: How can we celebrate the birth of the man who devoted his life to healing and showing love to those who needed it most? I think I have the answer.

Yesterday I was shopping with a gift certificate that was given to me on behalf of the Dish Network dealer I work with to purchase food for the local food banks. I realize Dish Network is mostly recognized for their satellite TV services, but what most people don’t know is that their dealer network is comprised of some really decent people, one group in particular that I’m lucky enough to count myself in as a contributing member. While I was shopping I realized how much it meant to me to shop for something that I knew would help somebody that really needed it this Christmas. I was so touched by what this company was doing that I decided right then and there that I would not only purchase food from their certificate, but I would additionally buy 2 and a half times more food with money out of my own pocket. I also made up my mind that if anybody wanted to get me anything for Christmas, then they could simply donate that money to a charity on my behalf instead of buying me more useless junk. Keep the receipt, canceled check, or whatever, and write a little note describing the charitable gift, and wrap it in an envelope, or make it a big box if the gift is a big one. The bigger the better. The happiness that I would get from opening these presents would finally bring tears of joy to my face instead of the standard annual lie of “thanks, that’s just what I wanted!”.

What’s ironic is that we raise our kids hoping that they’ll someday grow up to be good people, but even though we cart them off to church in hopes of instilling values and morality, we miss the mark with what could be grand opportunities for them to see us showing empathy and compassion to others. It’s no secret that young children want to feel like they’re big kids and then adults as quickly as possible, but what if one of those rights of passage included the opportunity to cross over the threshold of adulthood and join in on the giving instead of the receiving? Kids love to be given toys that they can’t purchase themselves, and one of the finest things about Christmas is watching the joy of kids opening their presents, but there comes a time when they don’t want to be seen with the little kids and want to emulate the adults. As it stands right now they see the adults exchanging gifts they really don’t care for or appreciate, but what if they could see the adults exchanging gifts of charity? What if they learned from a young age that the day would come someday when they could be one of the givers through some charitable action that would bring tears to their parents’ eyes? The other kids would see what the bigger kids have done and the effect of what it has meant to their parents, and likewise would want to emulate their older siblings. Charitable actions can start whenever they’re ready, and don’t always have to include money. Some of the very best charity comes from giving of oneself for the benefit of others. But then again now I’m back to speaking about the source of who Christmas is all about, and the charity He gave of Himself for all of mankind. Maybe we can learn from this, and finally see a world that’s based more on empathy, and less on the materialistic aspects of useless traditions.

By: Dale Aycock

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Dale Aycock wrote this article on behalf of the Dish Network dealers during the Christmas holidays, and hopes their satellite TV deals will somehow help people save money on their home entertainment budget this holiday season.