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A Christmas Gift that means more

The American psyche focuses on Christmas with materialistic eyes: what can I give and get this year? But as Christians, we see Christmas as a celebration of the birth of Christ. Materialism takes away from this reality and distracts us from the powerful statement God made by taking on the flesh of Mary and becoming fully human; not just fully human, but a human baby, who was at the mercy of His parents (carefully chosen of course).

So how can we give Christmas gifts that mean a little more? How can we give a gift that refocuses the season on the baby Jesus? It’s easy: give a gift that represents what Jesus taught us while he was on earth. These are some of the suggestions I have.

Christmas Cards with more than Sentimental Words
Several organizations do this, but one I’m familiar with is Children’s Cancer Research Fund. They offer Christmas cards made by children with cancer that help fund research. These are cards that not only say “Merry Christmas”, but serve as a way to remind others to give this season.

A Gift from You
One of the more interesting ways to achieve this is give a donation with each gift. If you were planning on spending $20 on a specific person, give $5 as a donation to a charity in their name and spend the other $15 on a gift. You can then include information about your donation along with the material gift – this is great way to remind others that the poor are always with us. There are great charities that could help with this:

• Toys for Tots. You can give a gift or donate money in your friend’s name.
  
• Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an aid organization helping the poor and homeless.
  
• The Red Cross. The Red Cross accepts blood (you can only give this to one friend), money, and even airline miles (for you million-milers).
  
• Priests for Life is a great group that works diligently for pro-life causes in the US.
  
• Food for the Hungry is a great charity this time of year.
  
• JustGive.org offers an interesting way to do this: you buy a “gift certificate” that your recipient can use to give money to their favorite charity.
  

Buy Charitable Gifts
These are gifts with a “charity” focus. One example is the Holiday Gifts at Catholic Relief Services, which offers “fair trade coffee” that helps small farmers in third world countries and makes a great gift.

Another way to look at this is to shop charitably. By that I mean many charity organizations also have an online shopping section. When you shop through their site, they get a percentage of everything you purchase, so you can be charitable even when buying material gifts.

Do Something for Yourself
By the way, you also need to get in the holiday spirit. What’s a better way to do that than work at a food kitchen one day? Or go visit sick children at a local hospital? I can promise that the experience of doing this will be the best gift you receive this holiday season – and you’ll be giving those who need help something they cannot give themselves. Remember, Jesus asked that we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and care for the sick. What better time than Christmas to live the words of Christ?

Or make an annual commitment and sponsor a child. Personally, my family sponsors a child through Children International and it’s an excellent way to help others. In addition, you are able to write to your child, send them special gifts, and receive letters and pictures from them. Especially if you have children, this is a wonderful way to begin living a more Christlike life.

Remembering Christ this Christmas
These are just a few suggestions, but remember they key is living your faith. Talk about Jesus this Christmas season and say “Merry Christmas” rather than “Happy Holidays”. Explain to your children what we are celebrating and sing “Happy Birthday to Jesus” on Christmas day. Don’t allow it to become another day celebrating American materialism.

God bless,
Jay