November is nearly over and the year has whizzed by like a F1 racing car owing to the many events and circumstances that have taken place; and yet, as the sky exudes a radiant glow at sunset with its blue, pink and orange hues and our very own tropical winter begins, I am reminded that my favourite time of the year is about to dawn: Christmas!
Every year is filled with loss, triumph, grief, sadness, hope, despair, worry and fear. This year, particularly, has been unlike any other: immense changes have taken place across the globe, transforming the future. December, however, remains the same; the universal holiday season, where routines are relaxed and vacations planned. Most of all, it represents the Christmas season.
As an ardent fan of Christmas and the message it proclaims, it pains me to see how much commercialism and materialism dominates the season, suppressing the true meaning of Christmas. We plan long and hard for December; from dinners, parties and outings to the decorations, gifts and food. Yet, there are countless people in our society who hope by some miracle that they would be a part of our seasonal plans or sometimes simply wish that they would be in our thoughts; in our thoughts, while we would wear a long face if we hadn’t got the gift we ‘really’ wanted, or didn’t get a gift at all, or if certain relatives or friends didn’t visit us.
Christmas today is almost like a second birthday or anniversary for all of us. Think about it: do we really ‘need’ that iphone or stunning dress this Christmas as opposed to ‘wanting’ it? How many shopping carts today are filled with gifts for family, friends, colleagues or acquaintances instead of strangers? The true meaning of Christmas is found in an act of love:
unconditional love, where you give to someone who cannot give back to you; someone who doesn’t know you personally; someone who needs your compassion and love to give them hope for a brighter tomorrow. And that is why I love Christmas, for the love and hope that it spreads; everything else is just man’s creative ideas added over the centuries.
All our gifts to family and friends are not just wrapped with elegant paper; they embrace all our love, kindness and hope. Imagine presenting a gift with that same wrapping to an orphan, a helpless family or a lonely elder? Their response with a wide smile or tears of joy, the manifestation of heartfelt gratitude, will be the gift that you truly need.
To find out what STITCH is doing this christmas to spread love visit www.stitchmovement.com |
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