Christmas...or Whatever Holiday you Celebrate

It's that time of year when stores are packed and parking is a big pain in the butt. Every store has a sale on something and our email inboxes are jam-packed full of holiday savings. Anymore though, the holidays have become consumed with what we can buy instead of the time we spend with our children creating the "magic of the holidays".

My youngest son is a big fan of Santa Claus. Each year he looks forward to his yearly email video (yes, Santa is tech savvy www.portablenorthpole.com). This year is no exception. When the email finally arrived, he sat listening to every word that Santa had to say to him. At the end of the message, the naughty-or-nice meter let Myles know if he had made the list. I could see the hope in Myles's eyes. He kept telling me that he knew he didn't make the 'nice' list. Then, it came across that he had been accepted to the all inclusive nice list. He had made the cut! He was so excited to know that Santa had noticed the good things he had done. He went to bed that night a little happier and I could tell the magic of Christmas was still alive in that little man.

That little spark of magic is what keeps it alive in adults. Well, it should. Too many people fall prey to the retail madness and become so consumed in the idea of what to buy and who wants this and that, they forget the whole purpose of the holiday. To inspire children to believe in something magical and to give to others regardless of who they are. Santa does not care what color a child is or who their parents are. He doesn't care if a child has the best of everything or if they are the poorest people on the planet. He gives to every child. That is magic. Someone who gives, because they care about everyone. This is what we are supposed to teach our children. Not just how to make homemade presents or to decorate a tree, but how to give to others without expecting something in return.

As a society we have become conditioned to expect something in return for almost everything we do. We make a donation to a wildlife fund, we get a free bag. We participate in a walk, we get a free shirt. We donate money to our favorite cause and they give us a bumper sticker so we can show the world that we gave something. What if we all became like Santa and just gave to others not expecting anything in return? What?! That's crazy?! I must be insane! No, I just believe that people who need to work on their self-esteem or well-being would benefit from becoming Santa-like. It doesn't just benefit the person receiving the gift, it also feels good to give to others. Again, it's a part of the magic. Giving serves a dual purpose. Think of it as that song in Lion King, "The Circle of Life". . . just change the words to the circle of giving.

It doesn't have to be just to the needy or the people who others like to say "always get the help". You can give to anyone. When you're in the drive-thru at McDonald's in the morning getting your coffee pay for the person's order behind you (in the morning they're probably not ordering dinner for six, you can ask the worker for their total and if it's too much you can say never mind), at the grocery store let the older gentleman with only a few items in front of you, ask the bell dinger outside of the store (sorry, I always call them that) if they'd like a coffee or something warm to drink and get them something,  or you can keep it simple and find a place that needs volunteers (volunteermatch.org). I am not a rich person, but I have done all of these things and I can testify that I am a better person for it. I may not have changed the world, but I showed my sons what it means to give to others.

Giving is easy. Taking the time to do it is the difficult part. Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Happy Chanukah. Happy Kwanzaa. Happy everything to everyone. Share the magic.