What a joy for parents seeing their children happy, healthy and surrounded by love. Children have the power to inject happiness in gloomy days. They can bring about a magical feeling that can undo any bad spell and turn our world upside down in a matter of seconds. We, as parents, have the duty to nurture their happiness, feed their hopes and unleash their creative potential. They count on us as much as we count on them. It’s this miraculous bond which gives each and every one of us parents the will to go on and perform better in life. They are the inspiration to make our world a better place.
Christmas is just two days away. For some people, this grand event might be just a yearly occasion to bond with their old ones or have those few extra hours of relaxation. For some others these holidays will be a chance to make an extra buck from working night shift in some bar, hotel or even at a party. Then there are those who, “luckily enough”, had their own personal Santa delivering an extra cash bonus for their yearly “hard work”.
Well, one thing is for sure, the meaning of Christmas for adults is definitely not the same as that for children. If earthly gifts blind our adult eyes during Christmastime, children are surely immune to it.
Their meaning of Christmas is the magical feeling within their hearts, the feeling many of us lost along the way as we grew older.
The children’s Christmas is a wonder we adults cannot fully understand. We see the lights, smile and just walk by. We see decorations, appreciate them but all that stops short of our mind’s eye. We even see shop windows full of goods to buy and we are only interested because, for many of us, that is what Christmas is all about: gifts.
Children also see the lights and the decorations and hear the delightful sound of carols. But what they see and hear more than us is the hidden spirit and vibes that have left most adults each passing Christmas. Materialism has murdered the true Christmas spirit.
Today’s Christmas has unfortunately turned into just one big business at year’s end. Today, the birth of Jesus is just a good excuse to pocket money in the name of decency.
Christmas is being kept alive year after year just by a sweet story that is retold and remembered due to our religious faith. The rush for presents, expensive gifts and the money squandered on booze and parties during Christmastime has nothing to do with the true meaning of Christmas. The meaning of baby Jesus being born in rags, in a humble cave, despite being the son of the true God, means 100 times more than what we have made out our Christmas to be. Children still have the power to see this but we do not. I stress again that money does not make our children more or less happy during this time. It is love and the good feeling we parents can manage to surround them with that will work.
Politics may be at their best or worst. The Church may decorate its temples with luxurious fabrics and gold-plated ornaments. Television stations may produce their best programmes but, in the end, nothing, and I repeat nothing, can ever stray the spirit in children’s hearts during Christmastime. They do not see colours. They do not check political issues or fundraising campaigns but we do that for them. It’s called keeping the tradition alive. For them, Santa Claus is still the guy who delivers the goodies.
So it is wise to foster this bond between us and our children and convey to them the true meaning of Christmas: that Christmas is not a celebration for just giving presents but the time of giving out something with the same love Jesus gave to us. Therefore, the intention counts much more than the cash.
The message of Christmas is therefore to spread love and to have that sort of love of giving from the heart. To be of service to others and to make others feel better without expecting anything in return.
That is the true message the baby named Jesus was born for. In the humblest of places, despite his grandeur, and in the poorest of families despite his divinity, he managed to deliver his Father’s message notwithstanding all the obstacles he faced as a human being.
If you truly believe in the spirit of Christmas then you do not need to have your pockets full of money to enjoy it. Tell it to the kids of poor families who know something about enjoying Christmas even if they don’t have a penny. Somehow, their Christmas spirit is not cheaper than those of children born to families. This is because children are pure hearted and their main goal is to celebrate these wonderful days with a magic spirit within their hearts and not their pockets.
If I could cast one spell I would surely choose to bring back that magic sparkle which once brightened our eyes and lightened our hearts when we were little children enjoying Christmas.
Merry Christmas everyone!