The marketing hype has grown to a feverish pitch as retailers are working over time to separate you and I from our hard earned cash.  We are being brain washed into believing that we must have all of the latest gizmo’s and gadgets to put under the Christmas tree.  If we are not careful we will get caught up in the spirit of greediness and not the spirit of Christmas.

Thanks to the economy and circumstances outside of our control there wont be any Christmas gift lists to fill.  As I have been working through all of the feelings about the Christmas season I realized that Christmas is going to be what I make of it.  Christmas does not have to be about how much cool stuff that I can accumulate and the momentary happiness that I will gain from it.

Please do not get me wrong.  There is nothing wrong with receiving Christmas gifts.  I would be lying if I said that I would not want to get a couple of presents myself.  The important thing for me is to remember what is more important.  Is it more important to receive or to give?  What happens if you do not have enough money to shop for what everyone wants?  If you are low on cash and you do not have credit cards so you can say “charge it” then you have to find other ways to give.

Maybe Christmas and the Christmas spirit is not just about giving or receiving.  Maybe Christmas is about the spirit of hope.  If you think about it life is hard and the thing that helps us to get through some of the rough spots is not stuff but hope.  When times get hard what is it that keeps us motivated to keep living each day?   Christmas is not about how much cool stuff we can accumulate but rather the hope that was born in Bethlehem.  Instead of saying Happy Holidays we should say Merry CHRISTmas.  The Christ child is the reason for this season.

Our Hope should be in what Christ came to this world to do.  Christ came into this world to give us hope and to provide us with a better way of living.  A way of living that is different than the status quo.  No, I am not talking about religion that is man made in which we follow all sorts of rules in order to become people that are more acceptable that God can love.  I am talking about God coming in the form of man through Christ the baby in a manger who shows us how much God really loves us.  Our hope is Christ in us and the gift of grace that has been provided for whomsoever will.

This Christmas receive the gift of grace that God has provided for you and your entire family.  God loves each of us individually and pursues us in a personal way.  All we have to do is to open our eyes and seek after him and receive that gift of grace.  The gift of grace is a gift that we can accept for eternity and one that God gives us freely for the asking.  May the peace of God and the joy of the season permeate our hearts and spirits as we enjoy the many blessings we have all around us.

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