Christmas is also a time to hug those who are important to your life. This is another sensitive issue. A hug is an expression of love and thankfulness for having that person in your life. Our society has become so disconnected that we don’t express our love enough. Our political correct society says we shouldn’t hug; that a hug is an “inappropriate touch.” I believe when sharing how much you care is wrong, our society is going in the wrong direction.
Christmas is a time to renew your personal commitment to yourself and rejoice in the great things the year offered you. So many times we stare at what didn’t happen, rather than rejoicing in the great things that happened during the year. In a time of celebration, it is great to renew your commitment to your own personal growth. It is so much easier to achieve this if one is rejoicing in the great experiences of their year.
Christmas is a time to insist on family time. The family today seems to be so disconnected. Most family members are moving in so many different directions it becomes challenging to find the time to just pause and share some quality time together. This time of year is about family; it is about slowing down and enjoying each other. It is about re-establishing the connections that are so critical of strengthening the family.
Christmas is a time to share, but not over give. I believe in the giving of gifts, but not in over giving because of guilt. Too many families seek to make up for what they weren’t by using Christmas as a time to shower others with presents. This takes away from the real meaning of giving. Yes, Christmas is about giving, but giving from the heart, not because one feels guilty for who they weren’t or what they didn’t do.
Christmas is a time to take the meaning of Christmas to others outside your family. There are people who are not as fortunate; their life has been turned upside down by circumstances that were beyond their control. Why not allow each member of your family to invest in one gift for a person who may not be able to have a Christmas. That would be expanding the celebration of Christmas to the bigger world.
Christmas is a time to magnify the good in your life. No matter what life may have thrown at you, there have been many good things that have happened during the year. Since Christmas is a time of celebration, pause and be thankful for all the good the year has brought to your life and don’t be afraid to share those good things with others.
Christmas is a time to allow yourself to pause and be thankful for all those around the world who are protecting our freedom at the risk of their life. Sometimes I think too many take their freedom for granted. Freedom has a huge price tag and there are many who have stepped up to the plate and put their life on the line for you and I to live in this country. Take a moment and say, “Thank You” to them.
Christmas is a time to share the story of Christmas with your family before you get busy opening gifts. The sharing of gifts should not over-ride what the day is all about. Why not gather the family around and share the Christmas story so that the meaning of the day won’t be lost in the tearing open of presents. The Wise Men brought gifts to the Christ Child to honor His birth. When that message is lost, the gifts just become a bunch of wrapping paper and boxes to be opened and thrown away.
Too much of what we do has lost the real meaning of the celebration. Too much of what we do has been turned from the true meaning to a time to line the coffers. Christmas is a perfect example; each year it seems Santa arrives earlier and earlier. Thanksgiving hadn’t even arrived and stores were putting up their Christmas decorations. This year take the “X” out of Christmas and let’s put the Christ back into it.
—Richard Flint
Merry Christmas from all of us at Richard Flint Seminars! |
