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Giving on Christmas is for goodness sake
(by Christine Thome - December 23, 2009)
BEYOND MY CONTROL, BY CHRISTINE THOME
Giving on Christmas is for goodness sake
While I do miss celebrating Christmas through the eyes of my children when they were very young, there are a few advantages to celebrating with teenagers.
One -- Instead of them waking you up Christmas morning at some ungodly hour, you attempt to roll your children out of bed before noon -- an ungodly hour to them. Our usual Christmas wake-up call goes something like, "Wake up, kids! Christmas will be gone before you know it. Plus, your father is on his third bloody mary and will be unable to help you put anything together if you wait much longer."
Two -- They understand that Santa's budget and your budget are one and the same and that Santa is broke this year. They don't like it, but they understand why they aren't getting a pony.
Three -- It's OK to put out beer and pretzels for Santa instead of milk and cookies.
But the one Christmas tradition I can no longer use on my children is warning them, "You'd better be good -- Santa is watching everything you do!"
Instead of an immediate snap to attention and good behavior like I used to get, I now hear a smart comment like, "Some fat guy in a red suit is watching everything I do from the North Pole? That's just creepy. I thought you warned us about guys like that, Mom."
I have to admit, the thought that some mysterious man knows when you're sleeping, knows when you're awake and knows whether you've been bad or good is pretty scary, but what about the last part of that famous "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" song?
Be good for goodness sake.
Hmmm, now there's a novel thought.
Don't be good for Santa's sake. Heck, don't even be good for heaven's sake. Just be good for the sake of being good.
Being good only for the purpose of receiving a desired gift or an automatic entrance into heaven isn't really being good -- it's being obedient. True goodness must be sincere and without the expectation of something in return.
Goodness doesn't come from a sense of duty or a fear of a wrathful god. Goodness isn't about following rules; it's about doing what feels right. When you truly do something good for someone else, you know you've done the right thing, because you feel it in your soul. There's a warmth and an energy that permeates through your body, and it's better than any gift you could possibly receive. And the best part is, when you think back to your acts of goodness, that feeling comes right back, no matter how much time as passed.
Goodness doesn't care about religion. It doesn't care about the color of your skin or your cultural upbringing. Goodness doesn't exclude anyone based on how much money they make, who they love, where they live or their political affiliations.
Goodness is quite simply just that -- good. So if you're looking for the perfect gift -- for yourself and for others -- or if you're searching for a resolution for the New Year, I encourage you to try it.
And be good for goodness sake.
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