The Gift of Receiving Love and Affection on Christmas

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,

for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away

like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.

The good you do for others is good you do yourself.

~Norman Wesley Brooks – “Let Every Day Be Christmas”

Today’s Christmas is a mass market frenzy of materialism. Starting sometime in early November all the way until December 25^th, the shelves are littered with reminders that Christmas is about buying and receiving cool expensive stuff as you rack up thousands of dollars in debt for only a brief wisp of happiness.

It’s easy to get caught up in the joy of materialism. Yet what’s lost amidst the endless amounts of shopping is what makes Christmas such a special time of year – the ability to spend time with friends and family.

What Christmas Really Means in its Heart

How many of the gifts that you received as a child do you remember? How many of them do you still use today? If receiving gifts was what made Christmas so important, than the gifts themselves would still play a prominent role in your life. Now most of those gifts are gone – either in a closet or sold at a garage sale. And yet, despite the loss of presents, Christmas still feels so important. So magical. Something about Christmas makes it one of the happiest times of the year, even though the gifts we receive end up being lost or forgotten soon after.

Family – The True Christmas Gift of the Holidays

It is because of the time we spend with family that gives Christmas its true meaning. Family is what makes this holiday different than something like a birthday or a housewarming party. Family makes this holiday a celebration of being together  and gives you the opportunity to create new memories and renew your emotional bond.

The Gifts We Get Every Day From Our Family

Christmas is a time to remember the gifts that family and friends have brought into our lives. Gifts like:

• Humor
• Acceptance
• Love
• Support
• Guidance

Every day the people we love are giving us gifts that we often fail to truly appreciate. What they give us isn’t material. You cannot buy it at a store. They are giving us their own love. They shower us with care and attention and give us more than we can ever hope to give back.  Hey, I still love getting presents at Christmas and I’m definately not discouraging that.   More imporatntly I love to shop and give presents especially to my wife.  Last year was awesome as she opened her presents and of course the prized cookware set that she was excited to receive.  The presents for kids are also an awesome part of Christmas, my son played with his last presents all year and it was just awesome to watch him tear the paper and open the presents up.  The spirit of the message is that this year, have a conspiracy and give more love as well as all the other things you do give.

This year, ignore all of the Christmas Chaos. There is nothing that you can buy at the store that will repay your loved ones for what they have given you on a regular basis, and nothing a jolly old man designed by the Coca Cola company can bring that will repay them for their consistent kindness. Instead, take this Christmas to show each and every person in your life how much they mean to you. Share experiences with them, tell them how much you love them, and start focusing on how you can give back to them what they give to you every day.

If you need ideas on how to give the gift of love to your family, send me a message. Take the time this year to change the way you celebrate the Christmas season. Now is the time to remember how much more important the gift of family is than the gift of an iPod. It’s time to change the way you give and receive this holiday and give your loved ones the things that really matter.

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