Reflections

Christmas has become such a commercialized holiday. People are so concerned about what they are going to get. The day after Christmas is one of the biggest shopping days of the year. How did this happen? When did Christmas change from being about celebrating the greatest gift of God to man and about reflecting God’s love to family and friends and even strangers to being all about stuff?

I used to be all about the stuff at Christmas. Sure, I enjoyed being with the people I loved, but I was concerned with what I was going to get. That changed a few years ago.

I had moved out of my family’s home and was on my own for the first time. Also, I was across the country from my family, and had not seen them in months. I decided to go see them at Christmas, so I booked my flight for Christmas Eve, but told my family I was flying in late Christmas day. I wanted to surprise them by coming in a day early.

My mom cried when she saw me Christmas morning, and the look of wonder, of Christmas magic, on my littlest sister’s face was priceless. That experience really made me look at Christmas differently. I learned that stuff, while it can be really cool, is still just stuff, and that I should instead relish the joy that giving brings.