Here Are Our Top Ideas To Celebrate The True Spirit Of Christmas

What does a Christmas celebration mean to you? Decorations, red-themed clothes, an ebullient Santa entertaining the children, playing secret Santa. The list goes on. Have you ever pondered whether you celebrate a religious festival that has far reaching significance or are you celebrating a marketing festival that celebrates spending an inordinate amount of money on seasonal items? Have we lost the true essence of Christmas in all the commercial ballyhoo that surrounds the festival now? Silverline in this blog discusses a different perspective on celebrating Christmas.

Christmas is around the corner. Are you ready for the jolliest time of the year? Aah I see, you have your Santa attire ready, the Christmas tree is bespangled with ornaments. Sparkling lights illuminate the tree. The gifts are immaculately wrapped. There are parties lined up and you are ready to indulge in sumptuous food. There is joy all around.

But what if I tell you this is not Christmas? All that is mentioned above is just a minute part of what Christmas is or should be. What is amiss from this checklist is placing the Christmas spirit of kindness and benevolence on top of the festivities list.

So, should we not indulge ourselves and be merry? By all means, we should.

But if all the celebrations that make you so joyful come from the store at a price, then that’s not what Christmas is.

Christmas is the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth. It is a festive time when families come together to rejoice. The décor, food, and gatherings create a convivial atmosphere. The merrymaking at any festival is important, but it should not trump the real purpose behind the festival. The intent is not to be just revelrous. The intent is to celebrate the spirit of Xmas.

But over the years, the true Christmas spirit has been overshadowed by its excessive commercialisation. Santa Claus is a modern-day marketing gimmick by Coca-Cola. The imagery is so well entrenched in the minds of consumers that what people know about Father Christmas is quite inadequate.

What is the Christmas Spirit?

It is easy to put it into words but challenging to exercise the Christmas spirit. Christmas Spirit encompasses the following virtues we must reflect upon and demonstrate not just during the jolly holly season but all around the year.

Giving not just gifts but also hope, cheer, and love.
Giving without expecting.
Serving the needy.
Being generous and charitable.
Reflecting upon our life journey.
Remembering why God sacrificed himself to save mankind.
Forgiving the ones who have wronged you is a true Christmas virtue.
Gratitude for the many blessings we have.

It might sound too didactic, but that’s the foremost objective of any religious festival.

How do we put the Christmas spirit into action?

The Christmas season is spellbinding. The whole world is enveloped in its cheer. Children, in particular, are thrilled about Santa and the gifts they will receive. To ingrain the righteous way of celebrating, a little effort to balance our festivities with our moral duties should be made. That’s how the next generation will grow up to exemplify the right Christmas ideals in letter and spirit.

Here are a few joyous tasks we can undertake to move from words to deeds:

Be more present rather than just wrapping presents.
Plan an act of service for the needy.
Take on the role of Santa and hand out relevant goodies to the underprivileged.
Be conscious of the planet and reuse décor items from the previous year.
Get crafty. Create your ornaments and don’t buy plastic items mindlessly that would be discarded after a week or so.
Visit people who are alone during this festive time.
Treasure family time. Feel and express gratitude.
Along with opening the presents, open your hearts to give and also to receive.

Not an impractical list, but surely an imperative one! Let us always carry Christmas in our hearts and not in store-bought packets. The gift of love and joy is what this gifting season is all about. These gifts cannot be bought at any store and are priceless.

We at Silverline wish you a Merry Christmas. Wishing you joy, peace, and love in abundance. We hope, we have ignited a renewed Christmas spirit that will be carried into the next year.