“Ding Dong, Ding Dong!” The bells toll their melodic tune over and over again, and it is music to my ears. It is an invitation to pause and recall the gift of the Christmas season. As I look up, there is a man standing there with a white beard, Santa hat, and a big grin on his face as he greets people with a cheerful “Merry Christmas!” and rings his bell. Next to him is the familiar red stand with a pot for loose change and the sign that reads, “Salvation Army.”
Quickly, I scavenge through my wallet and find a few dollars to contribute. As I do, the man thanks me and says, “God bless you and Merry Christmas!” Tears well up in my eyes as I am reminded of what Christmas is all about: giving. I’m not talking about necessarily giving gifts or even money but rather giving hope, sharing love, and carrying on what Christ started. It is all about helping others and giving of ourselves to represent Christ in this world He came to save.
Christmas is the one time of year that the whole world is celebrating Jesus. Sure, people may not realize or like it, but they are. They are singing those old familiar tunes which are about the Savior’s birth. They are giving gifts, a tradition reflective of God’s gift of His Son. Christ-mas is all about Christ. Whether Christmas has become commercialized or not, the core of the holiday is in Christ, which can never be taken away no matter how hard some may try.
Knowing that Jesus is the reason for the season and that the whole world is purposefully or inadvertently celebrating that fact should be empowering to all Christians. This is our time to shine. We cannot be content to just sit back and ignore the true message of Christmas that we should be sharing with everyone around us. It is time to start giving of ourselves — giving differently.
This Christmas, make a difference and start a tradition with your significant other, fiancé, or spouse that you are going to want to carry through the holiday season or even the whole year. There is an array of possibilities for you to make a difference together. Many churches and non-profit organizations exist to help the poor, needy, and less fortunate. Here are some ideas for spreading some true Christmas cheer this year:
- Look up some local or national organizations that you can contribute to either with your money or your time.
- Find a local soup kitchen or food bank where you can donate food or help serve at a Christmas dinner.
- Volunteer at your church with their Christmas services.
- Purchase gifts from organizations that donate portions of the proceeds to help people in need. Some organizations even offer jobs to underprivileged populations in other countries to combat poverty. Check out 31 Bits, which helps women in Uganda make a living.
- Volunteer to spend time with the elderly or foster children at local organizations.
- Adopt an underprivileged family to help them be able to celebrate Christmas. Salvation Army provides an adopt-a-family program.
- Adopt a child in poverty through monthly donations to provide food, clothing, and education to him/her. A great organization for this is Compassion.
- Participate in a charity event.
- Bake some goodies and take them around to your neighbors and spend some time getting to know them over cookies and hot chocolate.
- If you know of a friend or family in need this Christmas, consider giving them gift cards to local stores and restaurants.
While gifts under the tree are a festive and fun part of this time of year, Christmas is about so much more than stuff. Americans spend an average of 450 billion dollars a year on Christmas. What if we took that money and invested it in something invaluable? What if we took the time we saved from not shopping and gave it instead to building relationships with those around us and in our community? Let us follow Jesus in His example of giving of Himself.
This year, start a new tradition of giving differently. Give of yourself to those around you and in your community. Give time and money to organizations that are out there doing Kingdom work. Give the world a reason to say, “Merry Christmas!” with an understanding of what it really means. Give others a portion of the blessing that you have been given from your Heavenly Father. So, come on and ring those bells, announcing to the world the good news of the gift of Jesus Christ that is given to us daily.
