Christmas is won under the tree - this is an advertising slogan of a huge discounter for electrical devices in Germany: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_(store)
I wonder if Christmas is a competition. Who wins and - against whom? Have you won the Christmas competition when your presents are those, who are from the right brand and just up to date? Have you won Christmas, when you get the most and coolest presents? If you don’t buy presents for thousands of Euros, are you a loser?
I tell you what: You are a loser when you define Christmas by presents. Christmas is no competition, Christmas itself is a present. You can’t win it, you can’t deserve it and you can’t require it. Either you get it for free and when you don’t expect to get it or you don’t get it at all. And you do not get it, when you try to force it with loads of presents, because this is just the opposite of the meaning of Christmas. Christmas comes when you get quiet, when you take a break from your normal routines, when you make each other really valuable presents. The most valuable presents in our stressful times are love and care. Don’t go into the shops and buy a lot of things, stay at home instead and give time to those you love. Talk to your beloved ones, play games, do something together with them, cook a meal, simple and tasty, have fun together with your family or friends or whoever is with you or have good conversations. Sit down, eat, listen, talk, play - and then let Christmas come to your heart. And you will be the richest person on earth.
For me it is Christmas when I visited all relatives and then go to our little church, which is dark at the beginning. People start to sing Christmas carols, joyfully and festally, in the dark. When one light after the other is lit in the church, when the Christmas Story is read and God’s words are explained, then I feel like Christmas. And I go home with my daughter full of peace and joy. Then we have a simple meal and spend a wonderful and peaceful evening together - without any presents.
In our countries we don’t need any presents, because we all have more things than we can use, but we often forget about humanity, love and care.
No, Christmas is no competition. But it is won by expecting nothing and being thankful for all those presents that we might get and that can’t be bought with money. These are the real presents. And listen: They are so extremely valuable that nobody can afford to buy them.
Recent Comments