WS Chronicle

As I sat back and thought about the holidays in this day and age, I became a little sad, if I can be honest. A lot of what I see and hear about the holidays are the material things that people received, which is great, but not what the holidays are all about in my opinion.

I was taught on December 25, we celebrate the birth of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Like all Christians, it is a sacred day we all hold near and dear to our hearts. It just seems we have drifted away from what the Christmas holiday is supposed to be about.

Growing up, Christmas was mostly about the fellowship of family and friends, rather than what was under the tree. So, when my cousins, aunts and uncles would come from Philly, Phoenix, Nashville and other parts of the country to my grandmother’s house, it was the best time of the year.

The fellowship, the food and the love felt in the house all those years superseded any present that I could have ever received. My parents and grandparents made sure that my siblings, all my cousins and I knew family is very important, second only to our faith.

I think over the years, the reason for the season has been somewhat lost. I intentionally waited until Christmas Day to write this article, because I was curious to see how many memes or photos I would see about the birth of Christ or about family coming together, instead of what presents people received.

As I looked on social media, I was happy to see so many smiling faces. It was great to see all the kids getting what they wanted for Christmas, but it would have also been great to see more photos of extended family coming together to celebrate.

Outside of social media, just talking to people and children, I always hear the same thing, “I can’t wait to see what I get for Christmas” or “What are you going to get me?”  

I must admit that I have been guilty of it as well. One of my goals as a parent was to make sure my daughter received every present she requested, if she did what she was supposed to do around the house and in school. I did everything I could to make sure I got her what she wanted, but I left out the most important parts, God and family.

This year I did not go that route. I decided to make this holiday season more about spending time with one another, rather than the material things I bought for her. Yes, I did get her some of the things on her list, but we will spend more time together talking and enjoying each other’s company instead of playing with electronics, for example.

I am not trying to force my beliefs on anyone. I just feel we all would be better off if we keep in mind the reason for this holiday and embrace our family more. There are so many things out there that take our attention away from these things. 

I say, let’s go back to when we were kids and enjoy the best things in life, which are free.