talking to myself

Mark, this good, but not all. Why? The idea of having singled out a particular holiday season, a cutout portion of the year, for being merry, jolly and giving, just does not cut the mustard. My uncle Andrew taught me that in his house everyday was Christmas day.  Besides, most of the giving is just an exchange of material things between the non-needy. I would say that when we struggle to think of what to get, for others who already have just about everything, I would say we have had enough of this kind of Christmas spirit for giving.  We need to give more of ourselves, and not just for at Christmas season, it's a daily thing.

I'm not saying that we are all materialists, giving and taking material things only, but it looks to me that it's the majority, a big majority. I wish more people would read A Christmas Carol, or watch a watered-downed screenplay of A Christmas Carol. Although there may be an iota of evidence floating around, as crazy as it may sound, which argues that Charles Dickens was not the original author, as he plagiarized it, and then watered it down a bit himself. In the Original, perhaps the 3 Ghosts of Christmas; past, present and future, where not the ones that scared the daylights out of Scrooge. And it It may have been only one spirit involved. The Holy Ghost.  

Unfortunately, I have to say that the vast majority of Christians do not have the proper spirit in mind, when it come to Christmas. We must love our neighbors all year around, and much more than we love receiving and giving holiday material gifts. However, we need those things too, but the poor needed much more.  

A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

19“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’

21“All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.

22When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

We must follow Jesus' teaching everyday, not just on Christmas. But we do have many rich persons that are charitable everyday, but only because it's for income-tax deductions purposes, mainly, and foremost. Why don't even the Gentiles do that much? The poor badly need their daily bread, and we have more than our fill of bread, as we have enough in our food pantry to let it get moldy and then throw it away.

Give us this day our daily bread, and not just around Christmas.

God did give us a great gift in Jesus, otherwise all could not see what God really looks like. He's a really big chip, a boulder really, off the old block. Jesus, the Son who resembles our heavenly Father the most. 

Mark, I hope you don't mind my comments as being contradicting to your entry. I commented only as a kind of addendum, as I see this as strengthening your intended motive.

May Jesus return soon, he's overdue, and promised to return.

Your comments were good.  It is when people start to take their faith seriously and study and ponder and pray over it that the Advent/Christmas season can be a time of renewal and not of exhaustion. 

Peace
Mark