The Spirit of Gift Giving During Christmas Time

Most of the homilies during Christmas time will emphasize that the spirit of giving during Christmas time is not on the material things but in the spirit of Christ being shared to mankind the same way we have to prepare ourselves, our souls, our families for His coming.. I don't have disagreements to that. But I have something to add to that..

This is probably the time in the year when most of us who are working hard are able to receive a few extra money or bonuses that allow us to really share something nice to our families. It is the time when we attempt (sometimes we succeed, sometimes we don't or sometimes we just plan things but unable to get the gift we want because of budget constraint) to really give something nice to our dear ones or close friends and special relatives-- a guitar for a daughter, The Godfather DVD set (regardless if pirated) for lolo, a spongebob toy perhaps for the little boy etc.

This is also the time when we get to acquaint again ourselves with our inaanaks--young and old, mingle with our neighbors and community acquaintances, or even hold reunions with old colleagues or classmates. The giving of gifts will always be part of these occasions.

Christmas also gives us the chance to to thank these unpopular heroes in our lives-- the janitors, the office guards, the mailman, the garbage collecor or even the traffice enforcer in our village. It also gives us a chance to help and extend the nice food and stuff we have at home to the less fortunate in our town or even the victims of a recent disaster.

If this is the case, material things will become an inevitable part of the Christmas spirit. These material gifts solidify the spirit of Christmas. Whether our parish priest will agree or not, the spirit of gift giving during Christmas becomes an art, becomes special because the intention is good.

When I say good--regardless if it is done once a year, if it is done with pure intention of giving (planned or not) with the material gift or not, it is good. With this goodness of intention, the spirit of Christmas lives with the act of giving gifts.

Note: Last Dec. 24, I handed to my daughter a small gift for a lay minister friend that we will give after the Misa de Gallo. It is an angel clip that you hang in your car with a short petition prayer to protect you on the road. I failed to hand it to him. This afternoon, I learned of his second cardiac arrest that his body was unable to handle. He left this world with the spirit of spending most of his retirement years trying to build the chapel of St. Joseph the Humble Worker in our community. He was not able to see my gift.