The Christmas Spirit
As a kid, I could not wait for the Christmas season. Two weeks off of school, the music, the food and smells of turkey and peppermint, the family ‘get togethers’, the movies, the presents, oh, and the presents. The older I got, the more I anticipated the expressionon a loved ones face when I gave them something special. My mom made it clear, more through actions, that the home made gifts were a little more special. Hand made Christmas tree ornaments, hand engraved cookie jars, hand carved kitchen utensils like a 18 inch cherry wood spoon. Basically, anything given of myself.
The movies, also, help get me in the spirit. The Christmas Story (You’ll shoot your eye out), A Christmas Carol (Tiny Tim), It’s a Wonderful Life (Zuzu’s peddles), Die Hard (Now I have a machine gun Ho Ho Ho).
So why is it that this year, I can’t get into the Christmas Spirit? I mean, I know it is the Christmas season. I have been listening to Christmas music since the day after Holloween. I have seen stores prepare for ‘HolloThanksChristmas’ since early October. And the never ending hatred from the anti-Christmas anti-Christian left trying to chip away the special human spirit that used to flow this time of year.
I ‘know’ this is the season to remember the gift of eternal life given to us by our heavenly father. And that Christ was not ‘actually’ born in wintertime but the Catholic church hijacked the pagan festival of the Winter Solstice. I know that since we can’t actually ‘give’ to Christ, we give to Christ by giving of ourselves to our fellow man. To share the spirit and love of Christ with our fellow mankind.
But still, I can’t get into the Christmas spirit this year and it is NOT God’s fault. Maybe, there may be many people this year suffering from this malady. But, as for me, I will not worry about them, just myself. I will be selfish this year and just worry about me. I will sit here and brood about why I can’t get into the Christmas spirit. Instead of me caring about others, I will care why I can’t get into the Christmas spirit. I will get into, as Shakespeare penned in Hamlet, ‘thy knighted colors’ and be depressed wondering why I can’t get into the Christmas Spirit. Shouldn’t I be happy this season? Shouldn’t I be enjoying the smell of pumkin bread and peppermint?
Well, I will sit here in my selfishness and wonder why I can’t get in the Christmas Spirit this year. With so much ‘commercialism’ surrounding the celebration of our Saviors birth, shouldn’t we hope that this season is more than the saving of the bottom line of a company? Hmm, what is it? Wait, here I am wondering why I can’t get into the Christmas Spirit this year and I realized the problem is I. Me. The way to get into the Christmas Spirit is to give of myself. To not ‘get’ but to ‘give’. Maybe if others who are brooding this time of year think of others and not of themselves, they to can get into the real meaning of Christmas… good will towards your fellow man, to give to others.
(sometimes, sarcasm can be the soul of wit)
Merry Christmas to all. May the ‘Spirit’ of Christ fill you this season and the Love of God fill your heart and leave no room for hate.
The Thinking Tinker 
A very interesting piece that you wrote this time. I just would like to put in my two cents. When you think about Christmas, allow me to ask you this question. What is Christmas To you? What does it really mean? What is it all about? Who is it for? Why has it been in existence for so long? Is it all about toys? Is it all about presents? I have been blessed to get to discover what I believe is the real reason for Christmas. When I think of Christmas it is a time of year that fills my heart with warm and joy. It brings back many memories of the times of celebrating 1 special day of the year. This has been a difficult year to get into the Christmas spirit as you say. I don’t know if it’s because of difficulties in life, bad health, no money, or being out of the spirit. But for me this time of year and the celebration of Christmas is all about family. It’s the time that families used to get together and have one day of sharing time with your whole family. And I know how difficult it is to feel that spirit when the family is all grown and gone. Or so many of them have passed on. And when I say it’s about family the biggest part of that family is the heavenly father. God created the family, he created the love, and he did give us the most precious gift of all and that is eternal life. I was blessed that I got to be in the land of Israel just after Christmas in 2011. And while I was there, I got to go to Bethlehem, I got to see where the manger had been or at least they think it is where it had been. And I got to see her rendition of the Manger. The feeling of being humble, feeling of love and warm filled my whole being as I walked down the stone stairs, and to what they believed was the cave that have been carved out for a stable. We are blessed in that we all have a family that loves us no matter where they are. We are blessed that we have a god who loves us regardless of what we do. So actually the spirit of Christmas is God. So Merry Christmas the thinker thinker. May the new year be better for us all.
LikeLike