My Christmas Wish

Christmas is a great time of year to remember the Savior, but He is often overshadowed with materialism, financial worry, and strife within families.

In his book, Till Debt Do Us Part, Dr. Bernard E. Poduska writes, "You can never get enough of what you don't need, because what you don't need can never satisfy you." Every Christmas I notice at least one person who loses faith in "Santa Claus" when he doesn't bring them exactly what they wanted. Yet, this season is not about presents or Santa, but representing the wise men who brought gifts to the Savior of the world at his birth.

Sadly, Christmas in general is more of a material and financial holiday than a spiritual one anymore. In 2012, a poll was taken among 1000 Americans of varying income levels who were seeking monetary help to carry them through the Christmas season. (To view, click this link) While these people clamored for direct deposit advances, clung to their credit cards and took out loans, they took a moment to say whether they thought Christmas was worth it. 45%, almost half, said they would rather skip Christmas altogether. How sad it is to consider cancelling the one day of the year where people, regardless of religion or social status, actually think about Christ. This loss of true Christmas spirit all stems from focusing on money and greed.

Last of all, while this truly is the time of year to be home for Christmas, when new members enter the family, Christmas is a prime opportunity for family members to judge them. Specifically for me, this year, we received news that my younger sister is engaged. Yet, my family is enraged at her fiancee, constantly tries to dissuade her from marrying him, and excludes him from conversation. I even joined in at first, but I remembered that Christ taught us not to judge, "for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged..." (Matthew 7:1-2). 

Christmas is the perfect time to remember how Christ treats us all as his spiritual brothers and sisters. Christ would accept our most humble gifts, not the newest and most expensive gadgetry. Our Savior would urge us to give the gifts of love to our family members, rather than to dig ourselves into a pit of debt. Most of all, Christ would urge us to show mercy in order to earn his mercy for ourselves. "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14)

I would urge each of you to think of Christ's gift of to us this season, the gift of His atonement. The only gift He asks from us in return is that we follow His example. Have charity and love for all men (especially your spouse) so that one day, when he returns to earth again, we may finally see our biggest Christmas wish fulfilled: Peace on Earth.