In spite of the 1927 idiom "The best things in life are free", consumers of this generation choose to ignore the wisdom of the phrase and instead we've adopted the adage "Shop till you drop."
According to Nerdwallet, 56% of Christmas shoppers will not be able to afford as many gifts as they want to buy this year due to inflation. In spite of the rising cost of daily necessities, 74% of shoppers will max out their credit cards and tap into their savings in order to cover the overages thinking all the gifts under the tree will make their holiday merry and bright.
I'm not trying to sound like a Grinch...I find myself in the same boat...or sleigh so to speak. Sometimes I think my heart is two sizes too small when I get overwhelmed by the expense of the holiday and ignore what the season is really all about.
In all the frenzy of making Christmas the best we can, maybe we've lost sight of the greatest gift we could give our family...faith in the One who came as a baby in a manger to redeem us for eternity. God tells us to come to him just as we are. Angry. Disillusioned. Lonely. Broke. Broken. Hurting. Dirty. Confused. God loves us before we ever start loving him."For God so loved the world.." He wants us to know Jesus is his gift of salvation to us... "he gave his only son." All we need to do is reach out to God and accept his gift. No cost. A free gift. "Whoever believes in him will not perish but will have everlasting life." (John 3:16-17)
The Grinch finally realized all the packages, ribbons, boxes and bags couldn't buy happiness, and that the spirit of Christmas comes every year with or without all the stuff. The real heart of the season is Jesus Christ...God's free gift to humanity. Like the Grinch so wisely said, "Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more."
MERRY CHRISTMAS
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