I want this, and this, and that...oh, and some of these...and add this, too.
Many people are making lists of what they want for Christmas. They check them twice, and hope that Santa will bring them everything they wrote on their lists.
In a store yesterday, I overheard a couple of women talking about how far behind they feel. They still have lots of presents to buy before Christmas next week.
At this time of year, our culture focuses on the presents. We gotta get stuff. And the more stuff we get, the bigger the stuff is, the better.
We certainly seem to be living up to the expectations of our capitalist culture. But are we missing out on the best part of Christmas, the real purpose of Christmas.
I recently read a wonderful book, The Christmas Sweater, by Glenn Beck. It is a beautifully written and illustrated story about a boy who wants a bike for Christmas. On Christmas Eve, as he is getting ready for bed, his grandfather comes to his room and tells him that he had been snooping around, he didn't see a bike, but he did see a wonderful Christmas sweater. The boy dreams about the adventures he had with his sweater: sledding with his father and making cookies with his mother. On Christmas morning, he runs downstairs and sees the bike he had hoped for, but instead of running to the bike, he looks for the sweater. The Christmas sweater and his dreams reminded him that love and family are better than any other gift, even a bike.
Sometimes we need to do less to help our children understand what life is really all about.
