What do you want for Christmas?

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

1 Corinthians 13:7

 

It’s that time of year again when the world starts thinking about Christmas. The neighbors across the street have their yard all decked out in lights and decorations. Stores are playing Christmas music and jamming the aisles full of stuff that we can’t live without. Or so the Christmas shoppers seem to think.

Children are making lists. Every other conversation out of their mouths starts with ‘I want…’ They have about a million things they just can’t live without that two days after Christmas they won’t care anything about.

Okay, that’s a bit extreme. I know there are exceptions. My daughter says she wants nothing for Christmas. My husband says the same thing. And my son is only asking for one relatively inexpensive item.

But those are exceptions. Most people…even adults…have lists of things they want. The majority of us can think of all sorts of stuff we’d like to have. Some of it we might even need.

As a historical author I’ve written several manuscripts that have Christmas scenes in them. When I see all the decorations, the lights, the lists and everything else that goes with Christmas as we know it I can’t help thinking of the way it used to be.

Today when we think of Christmas in the past we tend to see it as a simpler version of what we do today. In my Christmas scenes my characters have family meals, they exchange gifts. They just do it on a much smaller scale and often with handmade gifts. But was it really that way?

For some I’m sure it was. But it was different too. Christmas was more about the reason for the holiday and less about the holiday itself. Or so I want to believe. It was more about loved ones and less about what those loved ones were giving you.

One of my favorite episodes of my favorite TV show is all about the family sneaking around trying to make or get presents for each member of the family without anyone knowing what they’re giving. In doing so they make sacrifices to acquire the gifts they want to give. They work long hours, stretch what little money they have to buy the most they can, give up something they love to pay for something someone else will love.

It’s love.

It’s also simple and heartfelt.

And it’s a far cry from the trip I made into town yesterday where I walked the aisles in the stores, picking items I thought the recipient would like, then paid for it with barely a twinge at the cost.

Now I wasn’t doing big shopping. I don’t celebrate Christmas that way. I try to keep gifts to a minimum and the price low. I buy what I think they’ll truly like and that’s it. If I can make a gift instead of buying one that’s even better. I wasn’t always that way. I used to buy stuff just to see how many gifts I could pack under the tree before Christmas.

Now I make them count.

I keep it simple.

I’d give a lot to have a Christmas the way they did in the 1800’s. To celebrate love instead of stuff. To give because of love not because it’s expected.

My husband recently asked me what I want for Christmas. I stood there thinking, drawing a blank, knowing he expected and answer but unable to give him one. Because I don’t want anything. Except maybe…time.

Time together.

Time to care.

Time to just be.

And…a simpler time.

This moment is what we have. Every today is all we’re promised. For Christmas I want time with my family, time to appreciate the blessings the Lord has given me. Time to dream of what Christmas was like when materialism didn’t matter.

And maybe a few stories of what this time of year was like in days gone by.