That Christmas Spirit

You either get it or you don’t. And no, I’m not talking about presents. I’m talking about that old-fashioned Christmas spirit, the kind you probably had as a child but that has waned for so many people since. There’s something about that magic associated with it when you’re little. The elves, and the Christmas wish list, marked down and checked twice, then decided upon by a jolly elf who lives on land in a landless area of the globe. You know, somewhere up north.

Then, whether or not you have a chimney, he somehow arrives in your living room when everyone (and I mean everyone) is fast asleep so no one can witness him. But he drinks the milk you left, and he eats the cookies, always leaving a few little crumbs to enhance the idea that HE was here, that HE granted you an audience even though you were asleep, that HE felt you were worthy enough to get the presents you wanted most in the world.

As I sit here drinking coffee on the morning of December 22nd, I wonder where that Christmas spirit went. And I’m not just talking about the magical nature of the holiday for little kids who get presents they don’t need. I’m talking about the spirit of the holidays that goes even farther back and is more intense than that. I’m talking about that day long ago that inspired the feeling of Christmas in the first place, and that also gave the holiday its name. Now, I’m no Linus (Charlie Brown reference, people. Stick with me), so I’m not going to give you the whole spiel about Jesus being reborn as a human in a manger in Bethlehem in order to save us from our sins. Oops, I guess I just did. But what I’m going to do instead is to talk about the spirit that comes along with remembering the original Christmas story, instead of focusing on a jolly elf in a red suit who can talk to reindeer.

I spoke with a woman once who had a tale to tell. It was about a family who had nothing, a good family, an honest family, a hardworking family who for some reason or another could just barely make ends meet, and so had nothing left over for presents on Christmas day. They had three children and lived in a seedy part of town, but they had love, they had fellowship, and they had an appreciation for Jesus Christ. They knew the real reason for the season, but they felt awful that their children weren’t getting the experience that others were, that they couldn’t provide just a little of that magic for their kids.

Well, late on Christmas Eve, a vehicle pulled to a stop outside their front door. Everyone inside was counting sheep (some more loudly than others) at the time, and the visitor went unnoticed. This person crept onto the family’s screened in porch, and it took several trips, but by the end of the last trip the entire porch was full of gifts. A loud rapping on the door, and then the person was gone, back to the vehicle and disappeared into the night. A sleepy-eyed mother came to see who was at the door and was blown away by the generosity of the plethora of gifts on the porch. Along with her husband they brought in each and every gift and placed them under their modest tree in the corner that had been donated by their church.

But the story doesn’t end there. On Christmas morning when the children awoke and tumbled down the stairs in the light of early dawn, they were blown away by the gifts under their tree. Their little eyes lit up with the magic and the spirit of Christmas, because to them it was as real as the noses on their faces, and their faith had been renewed in God and in His divine caretaking of His children. Each of the children had several gifts under the tree, labeled with their own names and perfectly wrapped like Dove chocolate candy treats. Even their parents had special presents under the tree as well, and everyone was surprised by each gift as they were opened. There were indeed some gifts from Santa Claus, but those were few and small. The largest gifts, the gifts that were most personal, were from their parents, or at least that’s what the labels read. And they were gifts that kept on giving, like winter clothing that they sorely needed, in all the right sizes, and like a box full of books that they could share on the cold nights when they liked to snuggle up in bed and get lost in imaginary worlds.

And their parents were blown away by their gifts, too. There was a toaster, which was amazing because theirs had just broken, and an electric blanket to keep them warm at nights, and shampoo and conditioner so they could wash their hair without using the old bar of soap to do so. The entire family was so happy, so genuinely happy, for items that a lot of other people take for granted. They were fully infused with that real, honest-to-goodness Christmas spirit, the kind that seems to disappear from way too many people as the years go by. And all because a kindly person took it upon herself to follow the golden rule, to do to others as you would have them do to you. She took it literally, knowing that if she were in a similar situation she would have wanted someone to think of her, to pass along some of the good fortune they had. So, it became a tradition. Every year she found a different family that had need during the holiday season and she became the magic for them. It warmed her heart to be able to do for others, and when she told me the initial story it was only because I dragged it out of her. She isn’t one for accolades. She’s just one for good deeds. That’s what really is missing so largely from our world today. But people like my friend are bringing it back.

That’s what the Christmas spirit is all about. It’s not just about wants. It’s about needs. It’s not just about you. It’s about others. It’s not just something that should come around once a years. It should be all the time. The Christmas spirit is what you make of it. It’s the feeling and attitude you pass on to those around you. When people come in contact with you, are they blessed as a result of your smile and your kindness? Whether or not your kids believe in Santa Claus is irrelevant. What’s relevant is how you as a parent show the real meaning of the holiday to your children, how you stress the giving instead of the getting, how it can truly warm your soul at any age. That’s real magic.

Sam