What is the Spirit of Christmas/or this Season mean to you?

Post by **ArathornJax** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 8:29 am

I really have been thinking about this a lot of late. What is the Spirit of Christmas or the Spirit of this Season mean? I include the Spirit of the Season since I realize that not everyone is Christian or celebrates Christmas.

In the news where I live, there has been much about how donations are down for almost all charities in the area. The plea is out to help and to give in this season of giving. Toys for Tots has "only enough toys to give 1 toy to a child and 50% of those worthy are not going to receive anything right now. There just haven't been enough donations to meet the increase demand this year."

I also stood in line at a store yesterday where a mother and father had four carts and two store dolly carts full of toys for their four kids. They spent about $1200 on presents for their kids. After they left that scene left a very strong impression on me. Is it "presents" we need or is it other things that our children and us need to learn from this season?

This notion though of gifts and donations has struck me this year (actually over the last several years). Is the Spirit of Christmas/the Season found in material gifts and ensuring everyone has multiple gifts and toys? Or does that just placate our conscience when we donate something material when really we should be looking for more meaningful and long term ways to impact the lives of our fellow human beings?

I struggle in many ways with the modern view of Christmas. It is a time when the poor should be remembered, but shouldn't they be remembered all the year? Should a child go without a gift on Christmas? No, that is a horrible thought to me, but then I wonder how much materialism has entered into the holiday, to the point where we think it is a "present" which is good for the day that replaces "The Gift" be that gift something from ourselves or from something we change in our nature?

Besides salvation, should we not consider a "gift" to come from ourselves? That truly a gift can be in celebrating together, rejoicing together, worshiping together and being grateful together? That Shaker hymn, "Simple Gifts" really is close to home for me lately. The words:

Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return,
'Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn,
And when we expect of others what we try to live each day,
Then we'll all live together and we'll all learn to say,

Refrain:

'Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be,
'Tis the gift to think of others not to only think of "me",
And when we hear what others really think and really feel,
Then we'll all live together with a love that is real.

To me this hymn, really hits home on what the Spirit of Christmas is. The gifts here do not come in bows or boxes with wrapping. They are gifts in how we live our lives and seek to improve ourselves and others.

So for me, this year, I think the Spirit of Christmas has finally really moved off the material and into the intangible gifts of Christmas. Material things come and go, and yes, I donate to organizations that give toys to kids because I don't think any kid should not have something on Christmas morning. But I wish on this Christmas, that I could share more of the "Simple Gifts" of Christmas. Perhaps I just need to commit like Scourge to keeping the Spirit of Christmas and these Simple Gifts more in my life. So I guess for me, it is the Simple Gifts that are the Spirit of Christmas, the deepening of family and friends and our relationships. I would wish to each of you this season, regardless of faith, that the Simple Gifts of the Season may come your way not only during this season, but throughout all of 2009. Happy Holidays.

So what does the Spirit of Christmas or this Season mean to you?

If not in the right forum please feel free to move this.

Post by **JewelSong** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 9:58 am

Life is full of sweet surprises
Every day’s a gift
The sun comes up and I can feel it lift my spirit
Fills me up with laughter, fills me up with song
I look into the eyes of Love and know that I belong

Bless us all, who gather here
The loving family I hold dear
No place on earth, compares with home
And every path will bring me back from where I roam

Bless us all, that as we live
We always comfort and forgive
We have so much that we can share
With those in need we see around us everywhere

Let us always love each other
Lead us to the Light
Let us hear the voice of reason, singing in the night
Let us run from anger and catch us when we fall
Teach us in our dreams and please, yes please
Bless us one and all

Bless us all with playful years
With noisy games and joyful tears
We reach for You and we stand tall
And in our prayers and dreams
We ask You bless us all

We reach for You and we stand tall
And in our prayers and dreams we ask You
Bless us all

From “The Muppet Christmas Carol”
Words and music by Paul Williams

Post by **Maria** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 3:47 pm

Christmas means the days will be getting longer instead of shorter soon, and that's definitely an event worth celebrating.

Post by **Alatar** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 6:22 pm

For me its pretty simple.

Time at home with the kids, when they get first priority over everyone and everything.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:55 pm

Time with family. Cooking big delicious meals. Decorating the house. The smell of the Christmas tree. Sitting by a crackling fire talking to people I love. Setting aside the pursuit of novelty to spend a few days doing things "the way we always do them." Baking cookies with my daughter. Talking to my son about college. Having time to sit down and watch a movie together.

Being snowed in! We're snowed in today.

No school for our daughter, and Mr. Prim is working from home.

The religious aspect is central, but these are important too.

Post by **River** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 8:28 pm

Closing up the year, mostly. And celebrations - between Thanksgiving and Christmas both my sisters have birthdays, S has a birthday, and there's the holidays themselves. Greeting the sun too - I have troubles with SAD and I always look forward to the winter solstice because after that the days get longer and my personal darkness lifts (though it isn't so bad in CO).

I'm more frozen in than snowed in. The roads are manageable, but my car doesn't like to run when it's this cold and I absolutely do not want to get on my bike when it's below 5. That's my line. The one time I crossed it it ended up badly for me and I'm not doing that again. Though it is warming up. We're at 1 degree now, up from -6 at 9 am. Hopefully it'll keep climbing and I'll make it to my 2:30 lab meeting. Otherwise, I dunno. Miss the meeting? Dig out all my expedition gear so I can be insane safely?

Post by **Griffon64** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 11:02 pm

Winding down from the year. Catching my breath and regaining energy for the next year. Family.

And for me too, the days getting longer again. Important.

I miss the South African version of Christmas, with business virtually closing down between the 15th or so, and the new year. Everybody taking a two or three week long summer vacation, relaxing, enjoying life, visiting with family. Here, you get Christmas Day off, and then it is back to the grindstone!

Post by **Alatar** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 12:03 am

Ireland is kinda halfway between the two. I finish up work on the 23rd and go back on the 6th January. Bones of 2 weeks I suppose.

Post by **Lurker** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 7:35 am

It's going to be a difficult Christmas for a lot of people this year, sad to say. I don't want to be a downer but Princess had to "let go" 20 people last Friday, whenever she thinks about it she cries. She wanted to cry in front of them, to show her emphaty but as a manager you have to put up this front that you're still in control. Thank god, I'm not doing the firing. Even my father in law said that the potato farms in their vicinity are getting affected as well, workers will stay on up to January.

Last weekend we were at the mall and you can really feel the financial crisis cause the Santa line-ups are shorter and less crowded. I told my friend that and he goes "I don't believe it, on a Saturday!"

Two weeks ago we put up our Christmas tree since it's our "electronic babysitter"

, the babies sit in front of it for hours watching the lights blink, even at the mall, they stare at the lights and cry if we go. People think they are looking at the presents underneath the tree, even the mall clerk tried to give them one of the boxes but they ignored her and pointed at the lights. They got their picture with Santa last Saturday, thank god they didn't cry. December is their birthday so we asked the parish if we can have a small celebration with some of the underprivelaged kids in the basement after Sunday mass. Like I said before, I told our friends that instead of buying something for the babies just bring a gift for the kids coming to the party. They're only two. They like looking at the lights on Christmas Eve than bother opening their presents. I'm sure my friends will still give them presents even if we told them not to bother just give it to charity but we will wrap up some of their slightly used toys just to see the look on their faces when they see the presents underneath the tree.

We volunteered helping out in the Christmas pageant. Princess is teaching kids a few ballet moves and I will help out with the stage props and decorations. The babies will play the role of sheeps so they can walk around the stage if they want to.

I'll add some more insights when I have more time.

Post by **Rowanberry** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 12:00 pm

A welcome break from the usual hustle and bustle. I always try to take at least a week off around Christmas and New Year; this year, together with the holidays and weekends, I actually get two weeks off by taking just 5 days of paid vacation.

In our family, the religious aspect of Christmas isn't that important, but not totally absent, either. And, we've never been into lots of stuff - just a few nice gifts, and something good to eat, both traditional and not-so-traditional dishes. Relaxing and winding down from the past year, that's what it mostly is for me.

Post by **Folca** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 1:52 pm

I let more people off with warnings working traffic and hunt DUI's harder. When I have holidays off I volunteer to work so those with families can be home.

I have been trying to ween my family off of the tradition of gifts for me but no one listens so I get stuff anyway. I love spending time with my family, but as all but one had a nuclear family of their own, I try to get a few hours in during the season, though no always on Christmas day. This year I work straight through, so I will be sleeping the days and cruising the nights.

Post by **solicitr** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 1:08 am

The Ten Least Successful Holiday Specials of All Time

Post by **yovargas** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 2:07 am

Ayn Rand’s A Selfish Christmas (1951)

Oh, I would love to hear that very much.

Post by **JewelSong** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 2:47 pm

I'd love to hear/see all of them...too bad they're not real!

I only realized it when I got to the Star Trek one, though!

Great little piece of satire...

Post by **Rowanberry** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 7:08 pm

The one with Orson Welles sounded like something he really could have done at some point.

And, the Star Trek one...

Post by **solicitr** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 8:14 pm

...with the obligatory demise of Ensign Jones. "He's dead, Jim."