Supplements

Commentary

By Liz Quirin

Spreading a Bit of Christmas Cheer

During this last week before Christmas, we sent the cards or skipped it; we bought the presents or decided against it; we thanked our coworkers and celebrated or spent our time with “bah humbug” and wondered where all our cheer had gone. It is Christmas after all, a time when families gather, friends make an effort to reconnect and we remember the reason for this wonderful season of the year.

If the merchants aren’t talking us into one more purchase, even during these last few days or minutes, someone else is chiding us for shopping in the first place. It’s that proverbial “finger shaking” bullying that presses us into our places — or not. Part of our shopping, after all, includes a purchase for the Giving Tree or Advent Angel that we wrap and place under a tree at our parish.

Those who drone on in columns, on the airwaves and from pulpits about our runaway consumerism might think about all the jobs created in the marketplace by people purchasing gifts, most of the time for others. And it’s not just purchasing gifts: It’s making donations to parishes, to agencies, to nonprofit organizations that would otherwise be unable to help the people who so desperately need some kind of assistance.

However, anybody can go overboard, fail to budget accurately and make purchases they can ill afford. Those folks are out there too. Some people, according to news reports, have decided to return a few Christmas gifts before we get to the big day, saying they overspent or they realized after they got home that they couldn’t afford it. At least they realized their mistake before the credit card bill landed in their mailbox.

While part of the fun of giving a gift is seeing the person unwrap it, some gifts don’t need to be wrapped or put under a tree. A card that offers prayers for someone you love can be especially meaningful for someone who would rather have the gift of health than new clothes or electronics.

Time can also be a gift worth more than gold for someone who needs to see you, or to put down their burdens for just a little while. Unless we’ve lived through the stress of caring for someone day in and day out, we can’t appreciate the gift of time away or alone. A new parent who doesn’t have the luxury of sleeping all night can really use a little extra time as well. Do you remember how happy but tired you were in those first few weeks with a new family member?

The gift of family can hardly be quantified. Some families retell familiar stories, with children listening to the same story for the umpteenth time and loving every minute of it. Maybe you have a crèche with special memories. As you place the figures in their places, you can explain the significance of this crèche to youngsters as the Christmas story unfolds once again, ever the same yet ever new.
Blessings to you and your family.