Give Love On Christmas Day

   Ahhhh, the smell of apple cinnamon and pine in the air! It's Christmas time! That special time of the year when we all rack up credit card debt to buy gifts for people who probably won't appreciate your sacrifice to buy them or they'll probably just re-gift, or worse return it for a refund. It's the most wonderful time of the year! A time of the year when you fight monstrous traffic at the mall, fight an elderly person for their handicap spot, and snatch the last overpriced item out of a little kid's grasp. Yes, Christmas, the season of giving.
   This is not an "everyone is a Scrooge" blog. This is a blog to remind us what Christmas is all about. If you look at the word Christmas you will see that it starts with Christ. This is the holiday when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. Now, was he born on Christmas? No one really knows, but that's when we celebrate his birth. Secondly, Christmas is about family. As dysfunctional as I think my family is, I love spending Christmas with them. There's nothing more I'd rather do on Christmas than to spend time with them. Okay, I'm lying. I'd rather eat a lot of food, take a nap, then spend time with them. Thirdly, Christmas is about giving and not getting. Take this time of the year to give. It doesn't have to  be monetary. Give your time. Give a meal. Go to a homeless shelter and sing some Christmas songs (only if you can hold a note). Give the best gift of all, love. Do like the song says, give love. And don't just give love on Christmas, but try to do so all year long. Because giving love begets kindness, and when you're kind, kindness will find you. Until next time, Merry Christmas!