By Tara Sanders Posted December 16, 2009
The holidays should be filled with time spent with your family, doing good for others, and all the little things that put us in the Christmas spirit. But, that’s not what is usually on our minds when this time of year comes around. The only thing that most start to think about is all the gifts they better be receiving from their family. Even though our economy is not doing too well, we think we’re entitled to everything on our wish list just because it’s Christmas.
Our society has taken the holidays and turned them into one big gift exchange. Sure, it’s great to give gifts to those that you care about, but not when that’s all we associate with the holiday season. We expect to get the shiniest gadgets that technology has to offer instead of expecting to spend time with family. We expect to walk into the living room on Christmas morning to find a tree overflowing with presents to unwrap instead of looking forward to a grand Christmas dinner with all of your loved ones. The Christmas spirit has been covered with a blanket of the wrong expectations, and I think it’s time to remove that blanket.
The holidays should not only be about presents. I believe that giving is more beneficial to your happiness than receiving. And what better way to bring joy to yourself and to others than giving to families who will not have a big Christmas because their income just won’t allow that. Instead of spending your money on petty stocking stuffers, why not give to those who can’t even heat their house during the cold winter months? Or when you see the man sitting on the corner with everything he owns beside him, instead of just walking by, show some kindness and give him the gift of a warm beverage and a smile.
We have become a selfish nation when it comes to the holidays. So this holiday season, why not help out families in need of a little Christmas cheer. And when you’re done unwrapping all of your gifts and come to find that you didn’t get what you most desired, that just so happened to be the most expensive, just remember to be thankful for what you do have… A roof over your head, a warm bed to sleep in, and a family that loves you.
