Christmas--Bah, Humbug?

Considering the pain our nation and the world are enduring at this moment, I reflected for a while this morning on the fact that our current economic woes may actually be blessings in disguise. I cannot minimize the suffering individuals and their families are experiencing right now, or the fact that this economic crisis has had far-reaching consequences that few of us might have anticipated one year ago. I doubt that there is a single person whose life is untouched, so each of us must be more compassionate than usual and try to find ways to help. How many of us have bemoaned the fact that Christmas in particular and holidays in general had disintegrated into little more than over-commercialized expressions of greed? How many have longed to return to simpler times when, in the case of Christmas, what we celebrated was the birth of the Messiah and what that represented?

I don’t know how other people feel about the advertisements running on TV right now, but most of them seem very out of touch. I’m sure for some, it’s “business as usual,” and I know retailers depend on Christmas sales for a majority of their yearly income, but I doubt many of us are going to run out and buy a brand-new BMW or Mercedes right now. I heard a newscast last week on TV saying that the American sales fleet told Mercedes not to send any more cars, because there were loads of them sitting on the docks unsold. No, the possibility of buying a new car or plasma TV seems remote if you just lost your job, you’re wondering if you’ll have a job next week, or you’re just trying to feed your family and keep a roof over their heads!

I remember when Christmas, at least in my family, meant making the presents you intended to give, spending time with family and loved ones, and yes—attending Church. It wasn’t about giving expensive gifts or the latest technological fad. It wasn’t about buying new party dresses and going out. You didn’t give people money for Christmas so they could go and buy what they wanted—you spent time giving of your own industry and thoughtfulness. And, you appreciated and were grateful for what you received, no matter how quaint or ill-conceived the gift might be, because that person took the time to care about you. Granted, it is so much easier to just drop a check in the mail or buy a gift card, but it’s also lazy. Who needs to take time to figure out what the person might like? Who even cares to bother? My friends know how I like iTunes, but I don’t want to get a gift card for Christmas unless it’s from my employer or someone who lives thousands of miles away. This year, I’m giving mostly what I call “cards and cookies.” I’ve made a few crocheted and knitted items for the really special folks. I still have no idea what to give my husband, however, though finishing a sweater I started years ago or making him a new robe would be good.

I never dreamed I would ever see so many friends and family members facing economic hardship. I never thought scenes from Dickens would become a daily reality, but when you work in health care as I do, you see it every day: the homeless, whose most immediate need is a meal and a warm, dry bed for the night; those who drown their troubles in alcohol or drugs; or the desperate who want to end the pain, or at least make a cry for help. I can thank God, Providence, or my lucky stars that I’m not in those circumstances myself, but I’ve come to realize that I AM in the boat with these people, and that if I can’t find compassion in my heart and make some attempts at helping, then I’m not much of a human being. Sometimes it takes being creative to find the right way to make a difference, but if each person could reach out and do one thing, it WOULD make a difference. Some people might say that what’s happening now is just the “chickens coming home to roost”—and that may be true, but I’d like to think that all of us have an opportunity to become more than we’ve been and BE better people.