I have a question for you…
“Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.”
What is it about Dr. Seuss’s classic tale that we all admire so much?
- Do we secretly feel the same way the Grinch does? I have at times felt just that way.
- Do we wish for a Christmas morning filled with nothing but simple joy in our hearts and a song on the breeze? Surely I have, or something like it.
- Is there part of us that wants a something in our lives or hearts to undergo an instantaneous change? Of course, but reality doesn’t work that way, does it?
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” tugs at nearly every string we attach to the holiday. We read or watch then we laugh and feel all warm and fuzzy. And then we bust out our shopping lists, our baking lists, our to-do lists, our stress and our craziness.
But.
What if?
- What if you woke to nothing? No tree, no gifts, no feast, no traditional anything? Would it still be Christmas?
- Have you ever gone without Christmas? I mean, really had no Christmas. No tree. No gifts. No candy. No stocking. No great meal. No thing to mark the day as significant and distinct.
(And, no I’m not talking about a trip to some fun or exotic location in lieu of gifts and such.)
- Did this happen on purpose, because you gave your Christmas to another family?
- Or did it happen due to incredibly difficult circumstances in your life?
- Or did the stuff of Christmas not happen for some other reason?
I’d really like to know.
(Please comment below, anonymously even if you want.)
“Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”
Kami's Beautiful Morning 
The closest I have come to not having Christmas was the year our family gave gifts of service rather physical gifts. I was young (about 7 years old) but my mother kept the “gift certificates” my siblings hand made and gave to me. They were such things as reading me a story, taking me to the park, teaching me to sew, etc. I have had my kids do the same to their siblings but never in lou of no gifts at all.
There have been a few years with children of my own I was not certain how we would have gifts for Christmas for the them. Those were always the years my kids received more presents than even they could imagine due to the generosity of others. Some day we’ll be in a position to bless someone else as were.
Additional side note: My father LOVED the book How the Grinch Stole Christmas. We read it every Christmas Eve. As teenagers we would how far we could get in the book from memory. We usually could finish the entire book by heart. I have continued to read it to my kids each Christmas Eve.
LikeLike