Feed Your Soul

Put Your Heart Back in the Holidays

By Jennifer Stang

I had always been one of “those” people—the kind who smiles her way through the holiday season, happily humming hymns and carols, cheerily greeting passersby with joyous sentiments and, yes, finishing my Christmas gift shopping by mid-October. The kind of person you secretly want to slap in the face with a fruitcake.

And then, one year, it happened. The same holiday songs that once brought cheer to my heart played endlessly inside my mind like nails on a chalkboard (“That’s the jingle bell, that’s the jingle bell, that’s the jingle bell rock!”). The incessant ads for 5 a.m. super sales made me cringe, while the frantic scurrying between relatives’ houses and holiday parties and cookie exchanges was enough to give me a month-long migraine. I had crossed over to the other side. I had officially lost my holiday spirit.

The birth of my daughter three years ago certainly helped to rekindle that spirit, but I found myself caught up in the commercialism of the season more than ever. I mean, she just had to have the little ticklish furry red monster on TV… had to have the life-size, ride-on stuffed pony in a catalog… had to have—well, you get the idea. By her third Christmas, she was operating on maximum sensory overload, eyes glossed over as she mechanically half-opened the barrage of sparkling gifts under the tree. What was I teaching my daughter? I knew something had to change.

So, here I am in the midst of another holiday season—but this year, I’m vowing to put my heart and soul back into the celebration. And that’s what I think we’ve lost. We’re not celebrating; we’re grumbling. And we’re grumbling because we’re overdoing. If I had any epiphany this year, any “aha” moment, it’s that I can simplify the season. I can say “no” to a third of the invitations that come my way. I can purchase more gifts on the Internet (a few dollars in shipping beats engaging in parking lot warfare). I can draw names for family gift exchanges instead of buying for Uncle Fred, Aunt Hilda and 10 second cousins, twice removed. I can buy gift cards for those people who are going to return my gift anyways (you know who you are). I can buy my daughter a handful, not a houseful, of presents.

My husband and I have decided not to exchange gifts this year, but instead to donate to our local food pantry and to “adopt a family” through our church. This program, offered through several places of worship as well as nonprofit organizations such as The Salvation Army and Volunteers of America, helps provide low-income families and those in crisis a Christmas dinner, new clothing and toys for their children. Just think about the people in our community who are ill and have no medical insurance, or those who have been laid off from their jobs. What a wonderful way for your own family or business to make the holidays special for those in need—while also rekindling your holiday spirit.

There are also many senior citizens in southeast Michigan who would have a very lonely Christmas without the sponsorship of individuals and businesses through various “adopt a senior” programs in our area. If you can’t afford to sponsor a senior, why not simply spend time visiting with an elderly man or woman in your neighborhood or local nursing home, or even invite him or her to dine with your family for Christmas this year?

Thinking globally, there are ways to bring smiles to the faces of impoverished children around the world who seldom, if ever, receive gifts of any kind. For example, my family sponsors two young girls, one in Guatemala and one in Rwanda, through a reputable child advocacy ministry. Receiving heartfelt thank-you notes from my “daughters” for their Christmas gifts provides gentle reminders of humility and compassion in a season when I can become easily frustrated by trivial inconveniences, such as waiting in line at a department store.

These are simple things that just about anyone can do to slow down the frantic pace of the season, help out a neighbor in need and get back in touch with your soul. Of course, the desired end result of all this simplification is more time to actually enjoy the holidays. For me, that means more opportunities to worship, pray and meditate on the reason I celebrate Christmas in the first place. It means being thankful for the blessings I all too often overlook.

So, this year, I’m going to show my daughter that giving is good for the soul. I’m going to embrace the “less is more” philosophy when it comes to holiday commitments. I’m going to sing Christmas carols in my car and be friendly to weary retail associates. I’m going to drop a dollar in the bucket of every Salvation Army worker I see standing out in the cold. Yes, I’m going to be one of “those” people. And I’m going to cherish every minute of it.


EDITED