This past Thanksgiving day, found our immediate family-my wife and I, our two sons, two daughters, our son-in-law and daughter-in-law-enjoying a nice leisurely time together after dinner chatting about a number of things, while our grandchildren played together. Eventually, the conversation turned to Christmas and what we would do this year about gift giving. Did we want to exchange names as we did last year? Or did we want to change things a bit? With the economy what is has been, everyone was pretty much in agreement that none of us wanted to feel obligated to spend a lot of money we don't have, and yet we didn't want to abandon gift-giving completely. After all, isn't the true meaning of Christmas all about giving?
After exchanging several ideas, one of our daughters expressed the desire to dispense with the gift-giving between the adults, and take the money we would normally spend on that and give a gift to someone less fortunate than us. I won't say it was an easy thing to decide...after all, haven't we all become rather used to the idea of receiving gifts? We talked about who we might want to bless, whether it would be someone locally or on the other side of the world, whether we would pool our money or give to separate causes.
My purpose in writing today is not to tell you what our family decided to do, thus implying that that is what you and your family should do too. Rather, to cause you to stop and think about how this Christmas can be made simpler and more meaningful for you and your family. I must admit, the following are not my own words. I stumbled upon a website* where I viewed a video with a message so powerful, I cannot begin to improve upon it. So here I have transcribed it for you, in hopes that it will inspire you as much as it did me.
We all want Christmas to be more meaningful. But instead it becomes, shop, shop, shop, credit cards, traffic jams, to do lists, useless gifts, then it's off to church, where we sing Noel, Noel, Noel. Sometimes we're glad just to survive it.
Did you know Americans spend 450 billion dollars on Christmas every year? Every year. So we ask, how did Jesus celebrate? Jesus gave himself... relationally, incarnation, time, space, presence (do you see where this is going?)
What if you bought fewer gifts like that sweater she probably won't like anyway...that random gift certificate...that plastic toy he doesn't need. Instead of buying that gift, you could give something of incredible value, like your time-time to talk, eat, sled, bake, bike, read, play, create.
Make gifts, like when you were a kid. And remember that money you didn't spend? What if you gave some of it away to the poor, the lonely, the hungry, the sick, the thirsty?
Lack of clean water kills more people every day than anything, and here's the thing...the estimated cost to make clean water available to everyone is 10 billion dollars. Solve the world's water problems with only a fraction of the 450 billion dollars normally spent on Christmas. Do you see what would happen? In 2006 four churches made up of people just like you and me gave $500,000 to build fresh water wells. In 2007 more churches said, let's do this thing and three million was given. That's a lot of love and life all because people spent less on gifts and more on relationships.
Let's face it. Consumerism does not equal happiness. Consumerism does not equal memories. Consumerism does not equal meaning.
This year, spend less on presents and give more presence.
Christmas began with worship. It still begins with worship.
Worship fully. Spend less. Give more. Love all.
This is the season of advent. You are free to worship, live, breathe, give, laugh, celebrate, conspire. Enter the story at: www.adventconspiracy.org
