“You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.” ~Unknown
There’s something magical about this time of year, and it has nothing to do with the Santas posted like soldiers at various points throughout the globe or the million volts of electricity that light up Main Streets the world over.
I’ve always loved Christmastime because the season inspires people to focus on everything that’s important in life.
The usually harried slow down just a little to stop and smell the mistletoe, while humming along to redundant Christmas songs they secretly enjoy. Fighting relatives shelf their differences to share egg nog and brandy, bonding over the shared experience of wearing atrocious holiday sweaters from Christmas gifts past.
I know holiday euphoria well. Since I always spend at least two weeks visiting my family around Christmas, the season packs double the punch—the infectious excitement of Yuletide energy and the joy that comes from sharing it with people I appreciate all the more for seeing them less.
And then there’s the gift component. People may lament the commercialization of Christmas, but there’s something about it all that appeals to me. I love watching shoppers give to the Toys for Tots stand in the mall, recognizing just how many people do good things without needing recognition or reward.
I also love the opportunity to mass-gift my family at a time when positive feelings are already heightened. Historically, I’ve devoted hours to plotting which gifts I’d give them, imagining how their eyes would light up when they opened them, like Ralphie’s teacher’s when she read his essay about wanting a Red Ryder BB gun.
It might be the least meaningful part of the holiday season, but I’ve seen a lot of loving purpose among the humming shoppers scouring the shelves for people they love. Something about the fleeting magic of it all seems to make people more mindful; after all, the holidays come but once a year and they are, in fact, for giving.