It’s Not How Much You Get
Yesterday, my wife and I were on our way to a function when she got on a speakerphone call with our son (I was driving). They were chatting away when the conversation drifted towards things bought for their child, our granddaughter. Our son was relaying how they had decided to put some of the things they’ve already bought for her away for a few months until her 3rd birthday. In fact, they half-heartedly said they had enough stuff that they wouldn’t have to purchase anything else for both Christmas and her birthday. The call ended.
Afterwards, my wife who usually buys most of the presents, commented that we had gotten her an impressive pile of presents ourselves. I was trying to make a comment about how she was getting to the age where outfits would be opened and moved aside looking for that next toy. My wife took it even a step further and commented that she already has so many things to choose from (both clothes and toys and books and activities) that it was hard for anything to be special for very long. To be fair to her, she is very appreciative at her young age but she just has a lot of stuff given to her by loving parents and grandparents and others.
This made me reflect on my own childhood experience. Back then, at least among all the kids in my school group, we got maybe 10 things from everyone - some my sister and I had some input on and others that were surprises to us. As I said, that seemed perfectly normal to us and mostly standard among other kids (there was always that one kid who got a little more and, unfortunately, one kid who got less). In fact, my parents bought us a pair of dress shoes, a pair of tennis shoes, a pair of sandals for summer and snow boots for winter when we outgrew our current set (or they wore out) as our only shoes. Same with clothes, all of my clothes easily fit into my parents farm house bedroom closet (and at least some of you might understand those are small closets). All this seemed normal and common to my sister and I. My generation, with good intentions aside, made a mistake and gave our children much more stuff and they have passed that process on to their children.
Why is this important? It’s important because people that sell stuff have taken over the Christmas holiday and turned it into a crass consumerism purchasing event. We have lost, or at best obscured, the meaning of Christmas. For that, we are all - to some extent - to blame.
We need to gird ourselves to remember and celebrate the meaning of the season - the birth of Christ and all that this represents.
”And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’ “ - Luke 2:9-14
”For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.“ - Isaiah 9:6-7
