Last night

I got out the catalogs I'd been stockpiling. I was

thinking about doing some Christmas shopping.

Of course, I might still

want to go to the mall, at least once, for the sights and

sounds, and a hot pretzel with cheese, and a Dr. Pepper

or root beer.

But I don't have to do that

anymore to prepare for the holidays. I'm not even sure I

have to do any "shopping."

In fact, I don't know if

it's the cleaner air out here in the country, or what,

that's getting to me, but I'm thinking about making some

pretty drastic changes in my holiday celebration. I think

I want to back off from so much of the traditional gift

giving, and remember with action the real meaning of

Christmas.

Don't know how to do that

just yet. I don't really want to cut back on what I do

for my grandchildren. I just don't want such gestures

tied to Christ's birthday.

I want Dylan and Elise to

know whose day it is. I want others to remember. I want

to get off the commercial merry-go-round.

I want to remember Jesus

Christ on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and every day.

I want Him to be the center of all my celebrations, of

all my days.

I recall as a child wanting

every day to be just like Christmas (not toys and gifts,

but the warmth and acceptance that reigned, the family

stuff...).

Just recently, a friend

expressed similar wishes. He made a sobering statement

that has only helped reinforce so many of the feelings

I'm having lately. He said the one good thing left about

Christmas is that, for just a little while, people try to

be nice to one another.

Has it really come to that?

Are we so maxed out emotionally, physically, and

financially that we can't be nice to others anymore?

Was it that way when I was

a child? Is that why I wished everyday could be just like

Christmas?

This friend who is so

opposed to modern-day Christmas celebrations doesn't even

like Christmas trees and Santa Claus. "How can you

expect me to," he asked, "when the lights of

all the trees and other decorations outshine everything

that might be out to commemorate Christ's birth? And

Santa Claus is a lie...."

Gulp! That one was hard for

me to take. Santa, a lie?

I'm struggling. What

happens when we allow the good to outshine the best? Have

we already found out? Is it too late to turn things

around?

I know I don't want to give

up my tree. It holds too many memories between its

branches. Every year in the glow of its lights I sit,

when all grows calm and quiet, to remember Christmases

past. It is a good time.

I like to bake lots of

goodies, too, and have friends and family in for lots of

hugs and remembrances. It is good for me to do this.

I enjoy almost all the

sights and sounds. The lights and the music are good.

Did I say almost?

I did, didn't I?

I suppose that brings me to

what bothers me most about the way we celebrate

Christmas. For those of us who have family, and good

food, and money to buy gifts for those we love, it is a

good time.

But for those who have

little, or nothing, or no one, it is not a good time. It

is a very, very bad time. In fact, their loss, loneliness

or deprivation is enhanced many times over during the

holidays.

I want to do something

about that. I might not be able to do much, but I want to

do something. I will let you know how these thoughts

progress in the coming days.

If you understand, and want

to redefine, with me, the real meaning of Christmas,

write to me at P.O. Box 246, Gay, GA 30218. Let me know

what you, too, will do, in the real spirit of Christ, to

make it Christmas for someone who otherwise might not

enjoy the day or season.

What would He do, on His

special day?

Now, I'm not asking you to

boast. Not at all. Just tell me what you think, and what

you feel you can do. You don't even have to sign your

letter. Remember, He said, "Inasmuch as you do it to

one of the least of these, you do it to me."

There is no reason we

cannot redefine what it means to celebrate Christmas. We

have the power. Perhaps we can reclaim the best without

losing the good. I don't know. We'll see....