The Empty Stocking
We again, are about to approach another Christmas. This time of year most of all, is when our memories of Christmas of years past will be compared to now. What it shows us is the reality of our crashing economy. How our economy has become totally dependent upon our buying merchandise at this the biggest commercial selling holiday of the year.
I look around at my inventory of wants and wishes still knowing I do not have the financial means to do anything about them, this made me take stock of how materialistic I have become over the years. After I had learned the real meaning of Christmas in 1987 when my children were young, I could see what they were struggling through was because they were allowed to become part of the world.
It was when they started to fight and agonize over what they would get or not get that it became apparent this was not really Christmas, but greed being celebrated as a holy day.
I would stress over whether or not I could get what they wanted. They were to the point of losing sleep and arguing about what they should get because other children would get the things they wanted. I had family that showed favoritism to their cousins to make matters worse. My sister who had the money would get my children’s cousins what they were asking for which caused pain to my children year after year.
It was very important that I remembered this suffering when it came time to end the present’s night at their houses. I was happy to stop the pain of disappointment and heartache this time of the year always caused us. It also showed me that we did not really know what Christmas was about. We had become caught up with the world and totally dependent upon the way the world worked. I needed to end the greed that this holiday had started building in our hearts and minds.
It was at that time I decided to kill Santa Claus and end the greed day of un-earned presents bestowed freely. In 1987, I no longer put up decorations, bought gifts or took my children to receive them. I moved to Oregon and away from all who would disregard my wishes in the matter. It was that year that I realized no one gave anything to Christ for his birthday. There was not any stocking hanging on any fireplace or where ever they hang stockings, especially for him.
Christ’s birthday is the most important birthday of all, and we give to each other without a second thought about why we give presents on this day. Over the last twenty some years, I slowly and sadly became indoctrinated back into the world’s rhythm of materialistic desires. My children are grown and work to give themselves their wants and desires.
I did not really ever take the time to think about my children’s buying all year long so they would not be in conflict of my understanding of how Christmas should be observed. I see now that they have been under the influence of my authority of how to celebrate Christmas. I did not know that my idea of doing the right thing might be the wrong thing for them at that time in their lives.
It is never wrong to teach children about Christ and then set the living example of his principles. The problem is that I was just starting to change and striving for a strong relationship with God when I killed Santa. I was new to being a good example, and my children did not know there was anything wrong with the way we celebrated Christmas. This is where I jumped in both feet ready to run with this new thinking.
Children sometimes need more than just a directive not to do something. They need to understand why they should or should not follow a directive. I never gave them the chance to say yes or no to my stopping the presents, because I believed it was for their own good. As they grew and we did not buy gifts for each other or others, we felt the isolation and separation from the world every Christmas.
I would try to get them to read the Bible and spend time evaluating what Christmas was all about. I never thought of myself as the Christmas Police, yet I am sure at first my children did see me that way. They never said so, and if you read my first articles on here you would know why. If you are curious you can go to the archives of the first few articles to understand me better.
I have again seen the world taking hold of me and mine in very subtle ways and must for myself once again pull out of the materialistic world that calls to me every so often now. I have to fill Christ’s stocking to the maximum and leave it up to him to handle my needs and curb my endless wants. I must be always conscious of whom and why this day should be observed with thanks and never ending gratitude.
The world is now showing how empty and hollow it is without the Principles of Christ being observed in its people the world over. We must learn to find him and depend upon him now as we reap what we sowed as wayward children of God. In the stocking for Christ, we should try to fill it with our humility, repentance, selfless giving of charity to others, and our example of Christ’s principles in our daily lives.
I have taken this time to re-evaluate my real needs opposed to my wants and imagined needs. I now hunger for the re-awakening of God’s children to the joys and peace that loving and living for Christ will bring our planet. We need to start the hanging of the biggest stocking for Christ and not give to the world before we give to him, our repentance, devotion, gratitude, and our undying love. This is the Christmas that I have once again embraced with my heart.
I just wanted to share my belief that we need to recognize whose birthday party is really being celebrated. We must think about why we now let Santa Claus replace Christ. What we celebrate now is what we have come to know it as, and that would be; what are you getting? I wonder what I will be getting? Do I have to buy for so and so? How much should I spend on them?
These are but a few reasons to take stock of our life at this time of year. I hang a stocking for Christ in my heart now and make it a yearlong endeavor to fill it whenever I can. I hope you all have a very Merry Christ-filled years to come. From my heart to yours, may you find the real meaning of Christmas soon.
Barbara L. Gonzalez
Sincerely,
This year bitter weather has hit much of the world, putting severe weather conditions in the UK, Europe, Asia and the US. Unusually large snowfalls have brought much of Western Europe and the United Kingdom to a standstill. Thousands of holiday travelers are being stranded at airports for hours and days. London’s Heathrow airport announced Saturday night the airport would be closed until Sunday after delaying flights earlier in the day.
My favorite part about Christmas is having a fresh cut Christmas tree in my house, a tradition dating back to my mother’s family. Since her family couldn’t afford to buy a traditional tree, every year they would cut down a cedar tree on their land, bring it home, and decorate it with colored lights, garland tinsel, glass ball ornaments, and loose tinsel strands they called icicles.