Thirsty for Simplicity

If you were to ever show up to my house on Christmas Eve, you'd find that the area under the Christmas tree which is usually reserved for wrapped gifts is pretty bare (if not completely). Aside from the few gifts our sons receive from loved ones who insist on doing so, the tree trunk stands alone. However, if you were to take a glance at our six Christmas stockings hanging from the mantle, you'd quickly recognize where most of our time and attention is spent. Each stocking is plush and full to the brim with letters, poetry, and plenty of artwork. It's the little things in those stockings that fills our hearts and lives for the day.

I've said it before and I'll say it again:  I have no qualms with people buying and exchanging Christmas gifts. I appreciate the idea of focusing time and finances to prioritize others, and I definitely admire all of the charitable efforts that effectively help those who are less fortunate at the end of the year. Still, I long for the day when we can embrace the holidays with more focus on faith in God and simple acts of kindness, rather than on what we wish we had to give others, what we plan to buy for them, or what we resent not receiving from the people we love.

There's nothing I hate more during the Christmas season than to see faces full of anguish and voices cracking with embarrassment as mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers express their disappointment for not having enough spending money to buy Christmas gifts. Can't we all just get back to simpler times, when Christmas meant so much more than opening gifts and comparing presents?

I pray for the day when gift exchanges take a back seat to expressions of faith, family, and fellowship during the Christmas season. I have complete confidence and hope that my prayer will one day become an answered reality. In the meantime, I will remain thirsty for simplicity.