True meaning of Christmas key to having happy holiday

EDITORIAL

Page 6

If it too often seems that Christmas and the Holiday Season are about the things we have to do and the things we have to buy, and not enough about the reason we are doing and buying them, and who we are doing and buying them for, then maybe it's time to rethink the whole idea completely.

For many of us, we can rethink the season in the spirit of our Christian faith, which is certainly something far removed from the commercialism, the drunken celebrations, the posturing that seems to dominate the season. Whatever happened to the celebration of the birth of Christ, and the greatness of that gift from God. Maybe it's because when we think of Christ at Christmas, we think of the baby Jesus in the manger, rather than the Saviour on the Cross. It is there on the Cross that the true value of that great first Christmas from God can be measured. Viewed in that light, it is clear that Christmas should be a time of great reverence and gratitude among Christians.

Whether or not we are Christians, the Christmas season has been traditionally a time of giving and sharing, a time of "peace on Earth, good will to men" in which we strengthen our bond with others, a time to show our humandkindness.

It's sometimes hard to remember all of those things in the face of the crass commercialism with which we are bombarded during the season - much of it totally alien from the true Christmas spirit."

When toy merchants are pushing war toys and dolls with bad breath, it's easy to forget about peace and love.

The commercial dominance is especially hard for those people with little or no money who know their kids will not get a bountiful visit from Santa, that their dining room table will not be groaning with a rich variety of good things to eat.

And the loneliness of people without friends or family will not be eased any by the perfect, loving families shown on television, even though they realize full well that the kind of perfect harmony portrayed on the screen is likely very rare regardless of how well off we are, and how many relatives and friends we will have sharing Christmas with us. The reality is that we all suffer from unfulfilled expectations at Christmas. We all have an ideal of what we would like Christmas to be - an ideal that is too perfect to ever be realized.

If we want to have a truly happy Christmas this year, let's forget about our perfect expectations and just make the most of whatever we have. Let's not worry so much about what we are going to get out of it and devote ourselves to putting everything we can into it to enrich the lives of others. And most of all, let's remember whose birthday we are celebrating and why, then celebrate that by doing our best to show the unlimited lovingkindness He showed.

Regardless of who you are or where you are or who you will be with this Christmas, we hope it will be a happy one for you and that it will mark the beginning of a new and lifelong season of joy.