The True Meaning of Christmas

There has been a commercial on TV for Wal-Mart where a little boy is saves up change, does house/yard work for his neighbors to get money to buy a bike.  At the end of the commercial, he gives it to his little brother on Christmas morning.  When I saw it I cried hard.  To me that’s the greatest kind of Christmas commercial ever.  As much as Wal-Mart is crap in any other aspect of existing, they have some effective PR and Advertising workers.  I really don’t like the kinds of commercials where people are just buying things simply to get their list done, because that’s what Christmas has turned into.  People just buy other people things that they don’t need because they feel like they need to.  I wish more people thought like this imaginary Wal-Mart boy. He just wanted to make someone he loved happy in a very genuine way.  Not in the sense that it will keep your spoiled brat niece from whining that she didn’t get what she wanted.   

For me, the true meaning of Christmas is making the ones you love happy.  Presents are not necessary.  You don’t have to spend an exorbitant amount of money to make someone happy (and if they think so, odds are even the things they want won’t make them happy.) 

Want to make someone happy without buying them anything this Christmas?

Thought so.  Here are some ideas…

-          Write them a letter, poem, story, anything telling them how you feel about them

-          Share your favorite music with them

-          Give them a hug

-          Take a walk/hike with them and look at lights on houses

-          Wish them a Happy Christmas/ Hanukkah/ Kwanza/ New Years

-          Have a holiday movie marathon with their favorites

-          Listen to them when they talk

-          Give them the gift of laugher by simply having fun

The holidays and presents shouldn’t be synonymous.  Holidays and gifts should be, because a gift isn’t necessarily a tangible thing.  So remember to be grateful for people that love you, and if they bought you something, great, if they don’t, it doesn’t matter.  Having them in your life is enough.

 

 

 

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