The Greatest Gift Of All

If you ask me, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year.  I love the lights, the decorations, the music, the movies and trying to find just the right presents for everyone.  I love seeing families and friends getting together and sharing the spirit and fun of the season.  But most of all, this is the time of the year when I see more people sharing their love with one another.

I know that not everyone shares my enthusiasm and I think I understand why.  For many, the season

No matter one’s circumstances, the holiday season can be special.  The most important thing is to be able to spend the time with the one(s) that you love.  The gift of giving yourself to those who are special to you is the greatest gift of all.

represents a time when they are expected to find the perfect presents for others or they feel that they need to spend more money than they can afford or they have memories of times gone by that were not very much fun or joyful.  They may be suffering physically or mentally or both.  They may be alone and don’t see any hope for changes in their lives for the future.

I understand completely.  I don’t think that there is a single one of us who has had the perfect holiday every year.  If I choose, I can remember all of the years that I spent with the person who abused me.  Plenty were the years that I spent the holidays doing what everyone else wanted me to do regardless of the sacrifices that I personally had to make in order to fulfill their wishes.  I could go on and on but why focus on the holidays of the past that were not great when I can focus on the ones that were wonderful and even more importantly, on this one, which I can make the best one ever.

No matter one’s circumstances, the holiday season can be special.  The most important thing is to be able to spend the time with the one(s) that you love.  The gift of giving yourself to those who are special to you is the greatest gift of all.  And if you happen to believe in Jesus, the celebration of his birth is what it is really all about.  If you don’t, that doesn’t mean that the wonder and beauty of the holidays should pass you by.  The spirit of the season can and should be shared by all.

Today is December 19th and I still have lots of shopping to do before Christmas but if I don’t happen to get everything that I want for others that will have to be just fine.  I am not going to stress out about it and ruin this special opportunity to enjoy the holidays.  I want to be able to share my time with those that I love as my priority.  That is what this season is all about and I sure don’t want to miss out on this wonderful opportunity.  If that doesn’t work for someone else, I am sorry but it sure works for me. To all of you, I wish you the best holiday season ever.  I hope that you will allow yourself to share the joy and wonder and spirit of this most wonderful time of the year with every one you meet, not only now but throughout the coming year.