2010 HSCC 20th Day: Guest Post

Welcome to the 20th day of the 2010 Harbor Street Celebration! Today we have a guest post from my friend Eric Collier. Enjoy!

Christmas

By Eric Collier

When I was a child, Christmastime to me was probably what it is to most kids that I grew up with and most kids in the developed world today: a time of excitement of gifts, shopping, Christmas decorations and music, Christmas programs at school and church, family get-togethers, etc.

As a parent with young children, it meant trying to find gifts for them, finding time to shop and decorate, trying to schedule when we would be at which family's home, and balancing demands at work with family.

I have always enjoyed Christmas music, but over the past several years I've noticed that I prefer songs that are actually about Christmas at Christmastime. So many songs are just about winter, or romance in the snow, but not about Christmas. Take Jingle Bells, for instance. What does riding in a sleigh have to do with Christmas? Especially if you live where it doesn't snow! Now, Silent Night and Hark the Herald Angels Sing are all about Christmas, and I like that focus.

I think Christmas should be about being with family and sharing love, but should focus on celebrating the birth of our Savior, that glorious gift to the world. Christmas should also be about sharing the message of that gift. Often, this means being generous with our money and time to help those less fortunate just like Jesus did and would do if He were here now. He isn't, but as His disciples, we are to do His work and that means helping those in need, whether that need is food, clothing, emotional and spiritual support or just some love to cheer them. The angels said, “Peace on earth, good will to men,” and that is what Christ would have us work toward. Think globally, act locally. Christmas is a great excuse to give, help, reach out, love, bless, and basically reach outside of ourselves and our comfort zones and think of others more than ourselves.

To me, the gift of Christ to the world means hope. Hope in this life to have joy and happiness, and hope in an eternal existence with our creator. Now that’s a reason to celebrate! But not as the world celebrates, not with drinking and revelry. Celebrate with family, celebrate at church, worship the Lord! Celebrate by doing things that make Him happy, like showing love to others, especially those that need to be loved and need to feel love and need to feel some hope in their existence. If you, like me, believe in a Christmas that centers on Christ, then you, like me, have a duty to share that with others and help them feel hope in this life and the next.

Recently at church, we put together food baskets for some less-fortunate families. We had an “angel tree” with descriptions of things that some children could use and would like for Christmas. People could choose an anonymous child and buy for him or her. These gifts and food baskets were then brought to the church and our youth and their leaders went to these homes, delivered the baskets and gifts and caroled the homes.

The receivers of these gifts and songs were blessed to have more than they had previously and to feel a spirit of love directed toward them. The givers of the gifts and the deliverers of them were blessed to see the joy they were helping to share and to have their spirits enlarged by experiencing the true love of Christ, charity as we call it. As they helped bless someone else, they were made better through the spirit of Christ. It was a beautiful thing to participate in. To me, that is what Christmas should be about, and hopefully will be in your life, too.

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Thanks, Eric! Hope y'all enjoyed that. See you tomorrow.

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