Do They Know It’s Christmas Time?

As a kid, we’re told to go to bed early on Christmas Eve because Santa Claus does not visit houses if little children are awake. In our PJ’s, we traipse off to bed because we believe that he will come.

To believe that Santa Claus had the ability to fly around the globe and visit every house on Christmas Eve could only be a miracle. And yet, each Christmas morning, we’d rush out of our little beds to find what goodies he left for us under the Christmas tree.

In shock that he had eaten all the cookies, but didn’t finish his milk, our little minds would race to process it all. As children, we processed all of it, the good and the bad. However, once we grew up, everything about Santa that we had heard as we were growing up changed, and we were told to stop believing in Santa and in the magic of Christmas.

I have seen that, even in the poorest of villages, people will give what they can to someone who has even less. People driving into town will pick up strangers walking into town. With no hesitation, they stop, and whether it’s the front seat, back seat, or the bed of the truck, they offer what they have.

As a country, why are we so generous and sympathetic for those who need our help during the holidays, yet we do very little the rest of the year?

I think of everything in my life as a gift, and not mine to keep, but to use somehow to do good; to share, to bless others where we can and when we can. I am aware that not everyone has the same blessings, which include joyful times spent with family and friends, a roof over their head, plenty of food for days to come, the warmth of a fire, and the luxury of a couch. I see the homeless and the lonely, the mentally ill, the poor, and the sick, and often they do not possess the basic needs to care for themselves.

I believe in Karma, as well as God, and that there is no act of kindness that is too small. There are things that we may do in life that will make a world of difference for someone else. Maybe we won’t even know that we even had an effect. To offer generosity, this compassion will always come back, rarely in the same form, but it will come back to you.

In closing, may you and yours have a Happy Holiday this coming week; and remember, not everyone knows it’s Christmas Time, and not everyone knows that someone cares. Let your gift be one of support, generosity, and kindness during this holiday season and, more importantly, throughout the New Year.