I read something the other day on a news website that the entire story of Christmas is wrong. Factually wrong. As a Jew, that doesn’t affect me. As a person living in a largely Christian society, my reaction is—so what? What if every bit of the story is false? Nothing changes. The story still has power and meaning. It still moves people to contemplation. It still has the capacity to better people. I find irony in the annual War On Christmas jeremiads because they almost all miss the point. The refrain is usually along these lines: they wished me “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas,” so Christmas has been taken away from me. Or they won’t allow my child’s school to have a “Christmas Pageant”—it has to be a “Holiday Pageant” so Christmas has been taken away from all children. Christmas, however, is not about what we say or how we decorate or how much we spend or what we wear or the songs we sing. It’s about giving. Because, Facebook friends, there are so many of you, because you’ve spread yourselves around the globe, and because your needs are so diverse, I’m going to give you something affordable, something valuable, something sincere, and something timeless: advice. Here it is: give. You don’t have to spend money if you don’t want. You don’t have to go far. You don’t have to take worlds of time. Just give something to someone. Start small: smile at a stranger. Then work your way up: open a door for someone, or offer to carry something, or let someone with one item go ahead of you at the store. Read to a child. Visit someone sick. Send a card. Write a letter. Pay it forward at the drive-thru. Donate to a charity. See? It isn’t hard. And the best thing is that it will be appreciated more than that ugly tie or frying pan or silly toy. Merry Christmas, friends. Enjoy your gift.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 17:24:48 +0000
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