Elevating December 26!
“So, what did you get for Christmas?” you ask your little neighbor, Timmy, the day after.
But wait! Is that what you really want to emphasize about a magical Christmas season?
Let’s think about it. Where did the idea of giving gifts as part of Christmas get started? Most people quickly remember that ‘the wise men’ who traveled far to see the newborn child in Israel so long ago, came bringing gifts in honor of his birth.
Today we still honor the occasion by sharing gifts with one another in honor of the Gift so graciously shared with the world on that first Christmas.
But, how did we go from making the focus of the season – especially for children – what they GET instead of what they GIVE?
We understand that it’s common for celebrations to ‘morph’ away from their original intent. But, in this case that change lures us into a practice that encourages the very self-centeredness that human maturing is intended to reduce!
You see, every time we ask a child what he GOT for Christmas, we unconsciously encourage children to think that the meaning of Christmas lies more in what they RECEIVE than in what they GIVE.
Is it any wonder, then, that we see mindless, selfish behavior openly exhibited all around us, both in today’s children and in adults who were also once children?
With this article, we are asking our readers to think twice this year as they meet children in the afterglow of Christmas.
Here’s the drill: instead of asking them what they GOT for Christmas, this time make your first query about what they GAVE for Christmas.
When you ask such an unusual question, it will likely be the first time they have ever been asked to think beyond themselves as they report their Christmas joy. And, you will do them a favor by explaining why you are asking such an unexpected question.
Just think, you will be awakening the realization in children the truth of the old proverb, “'You're far happier giving than getting.” In the end, you will be elevating both December 26 and the children you meet by helping them find the rewards of thinking beyond themselves.
