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Today's
Meditation:
We've been
constantly moving towards more materialistic Christmases
for decades now, ever since the insidiousness of marketing
became so incredibly intrusive, first with the radio and television
and then later with the Internet. There are many
people out there who want to convince us that the people
in our lives want things that we have to buy because, of
course, when we buy those gifts from the advertisers, they make
money. It's painful to hear every year that
Christmas is a multi-billion dollar business holiday
rather than a holiday of love and peace and hope.
Of
course, it's fine to buy Christmas presents. I love
getting a book that someone picked out just for me, or a
sweater from a store that's hand-made (how many are
these days?). And I love finding just that perfect
gift in a store, one that I know the recipient will just
love. But I try not to make those the only gifts
that I give. I also try to find things that I can
make, things that I can do for someone else, that will be
very nice gifts. And these things don't need to be
the gifts they find under the tree-- perhaps fixing
someone's car for them, or babysitting for them so that
they can go out on a date, or a pretty card with a
heartfelt message can show your love more than a
store-bought something can.
When
we think of what we're going to give to others, it's
important that we consider who they are and what they want
and what our relationship to them is. Our goal
shouldn't be to find the perfect present, because there
usually isn't such a thing. Our goal really should
be to give them something that will brighten their day, to
share with them something that we know is special to
them. It can even be something fleeting, like a box
of their favorite candy that they don't buy very often for
themselves.
Many
people have disappointing Christmases because they simply
can't think of the "perfect" gift-- or because
they don't receive it. I want my Christmases to be
bright because I was able to share some of my time and/or
effort, giving a gift that may not be something material,
but that is something special to both of us. The
things that we find under the tree can be very special,
but the gifts that come from our hearts can be extremely
special, too, and sharing them can brighten our lives just
as much as they brighten the lives of their
recipients.
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