Rethinking Christmas

I've seen ads for several popular campaigns this season promoting charitable donations in lieu of traditional gift-giving. I'm not gonna lie - they made me feel kinda guilty. Here I was actually enjoying Black Friday shopping, while across the nation rabid consumerism led shoppers to act like animals and everybody in America forgot how to be decent people for Christmas.

I've racked my brain trying to think of one single creative way I set apart Christmas as a sacred occasion. E and I don't even go to a Christmas Eve service at church because we're juggling time between our families. Rather, the annual gift exchanges form the main events of our holidays. Am I a shallow materialist when it comes to this season?

I'm still working this out, but I've decided a tentative "no".

There were a few issues I had to grapple with before arriving at this conclusion. First, consumerism in America has gotten out of control. Second, there are many who are desperate for our help, financially and otherwise - donating to charities is an effective way of meeting needs. Finally, for Christians this season is significant because we celebrate Jesus entering the earth in human form; His profound vulnerability as an infant reminds us of how much He gave us in His life, death, and victory over death. Doesn't seem to leave a lot of wriggle room for holiday shopping lists.

Here's why I'm okay sticking with tradition:

1. Buying, like most other activities, is good in moderation. The amount of greed and waste in Western civilization is an appalling consequence of a good thing perverted by misuse. When done intentionally, weighed against a person's values and ideals, the items bought can become tools or temporary treasures. I try to treat buying as an art, or a game: get what is needed with the most thought and least expenditure possible. Gift giving is no exception. If I give you a present, I've probably slaved over it for hours to get it just right for you, including as many meaningful personal touches as I can. Whether or not you see it, love is dripping off every ninja in that bar of ninja soap.

2. Christmas is a great opportunity to donate to charity, but it's not the only or best time. Why should we treat non-profit organizations like shopping malls, letting their accounting books get in the black only around this season? Like many people, E and I plan our whole year around charitable giving; while we do give extra for special Christmas projects through church, the bulk of our donations take place throughout the year, including times when many organizations feel the pinch the most. I'm okay spending a fraction the cost of one month's donations on gifts for family and friends.

3. I learned in Sunday School as a youngster that the reason we give gifts to each other at Christmas is because God gave life to us through His Son. I was trained to think of those presents under the tree as one of many clear expressions of our gratitude to Him. I still can't reconcile that image with the mob trampling a Walmart employee in Long Island - that's what people do when they abuse or don't know love. It's not the presents that got people there; it's the empty, unchecked hunger for something to replace love. At its best, sharing our hearts through gifts to each other can be a sacred activity, I believe - just as sacred as breaking bread together.

I hope these aren't lame excuses for sticking to my materialistic ways. But if they are, I hope all of you will help set me straight. I don't resent the anti-shopping campaigns - I think they're really cool and I hope they continue causing people to rethink their Christmas traditions. They caused me to rethink mine, and for now, to appreciate them all the more.


HORSE prompt: Share your favorite cold-weather recipe, and the best clothes/location/activity in which to enjoy eating or drinking it.