This time of year everyone is supposed to be happy and chipper because Christmas is finally here! However, finding the perfect gift is stressful. Everyone wants to make sure their family, friends, and loved ones get exactly what they want. Making sure you go everything on their Christmas list. But this is only half of what Christmas is about. Yes, getting presents is an amazing part of it but giving them is so much better. Watching the face of the person whom you just gave that gift to is priceless and is much better than getting a gift yourself.
Christmas is truly the season of giving. Not only giving gifts but giving back to the community. Some people are less fortunate than others and may not be able to get Christmas gifts this holiday season. Celebrities, sports stars and many others pride themselves on giving back to people less fortunate than themselves. Many churches do an adopt a family aspect of giving back. They assign a family to shop for some less fortunate and then they get the gifts they are dreaming of.
Even though streets are lined with houses dosed in lights and blow up things outside does not take away from what is going on inside. Just because things look great from the outside is not always the case inside. We are still trying to get out of a struggling economy and getting gifts for their children may be difficult for some parents. Their are some families that may not have a christmas due to the financial crisis, but that does not make their love for each other waiver. It also does not mean that their dream cannot become a reality. Star linebacker Thomas Davis of the Carolina Panthers has a foundation called "Defending Dreams foundation" and every Christmas they provide presents for families in that financial crisis. Davis does this because he himself went through Christmas's where him and his siblings did not receive gifts. He now makes it his mission to assure that does not happen to other families. They do this in Georgia, South and North Carolina. This is only one example of celebrities giving back to people less fortunate than them and what the season of giving is really about.
Cops are causing a lot of controversy lately with all of the shootings and practice that is not normally in their behavior. However, there are still some good ones out there. Being pulled over is never a good thing, except in this case. Cops are pulling people over asking what that have shopped for and what they still need. The people in the cars think they are getting a traffic violation or tickets but little do they know that is not the case at all.
The season of giving can also mean providing food or shelter to someone. It does not have to be as extravagant as the cops doing things for people. Giving someone a home cooked meal can be just as meaningful if not more than a receiving a gift. Soup kitchens are full with volunteers around the holidays because people really get into the season of giving. They feel it is their due diligence to do so this time of year. That is amazing but these soup kitchens are around all year and need help all year long. The season of giving brings out the best in people, but it should not only be for a season. It should be all year long. Yes it is amazing that people are helping now because this time of year is always hard for people however it should be happening all year long.
Giving back feels so much better than ripping through wrapping paper. Although Christmas morning is always exciting seeing what Santa brought lying under the tree. Some kids and even adults get wrapped up in the getting of this season and not the giving. I am challenging everyone to take a step back and think about all the things you are getting and how privileged you really are. My neighborhood lines the sidewalks and street outside of our houses with luminaries from the Ronald McDonald House on Christmas Eve. Riding around the neighborhood looking at all the bags is one of my favorite parts of Christmas Eve. It reminds me of some of the good we did by buying the kits from the Ronald McDonald House that helps the less fortunate out. It does help that it is a beautiful sight to see when an entire neighborhood is lit up by bags with candles in them. That is however neither here nor there. It is the fact that by doing this we are helping out people who may not be able to line their houses with these bags.
Getting a gift feels good but giving one feels even better. "Christmas is truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most," said by Ruth Carter Stapleton. She is extremely right and I believe everyone should try giving something back instead of getting something this Christmas season.
Photo by 
