I love Christmas and the rest of the holiday season. Some may even say I am a little obsessed. As soon as November hit, I set up my Christmas tree, hung my stockings and placed my Black Santa figurine on display.
My family has rich annual traditions that we stick to very closely. Every year, my dad buys a real Christmas tree the day before Christmas and leaves it up until February. We assign our “gift giver” of the year, the person who passes the gifts out to everyone—because in my family every gift is opened one at a time to give our full attention to the gift receiver. And probably our most important yearly act is reading the passage in the Bible recounting the birth of Jesus before we open presents so that we can better reflect on what we are thankful for during this time of celebration.
Thankfulness and gratitude are some virtues I hold dear to my heart. Understanding where you’re fortunate and using that to help others is the most important part of the holidays, in my opinion.
I grew up in a giving home. I watched my mother regularly “adopt-a-family” during Christmas, making sure that when she bought my sister’s new LEGO set, she bought the exact same one for a child she didn’t know. I watched my father visit my grandma in the nursing home, making sure to also visit other residents who had no one to visit them at all.
This past Thanksgiving, my father, sister and I drove around the streets of Bridgeport and New Haven, Conn., in the rain, passing out plates to whomever happened to be on the street and in need of a hot meal.
I watched my parents provide meals, money, hygiene products, whatever they had to homeless folks on the street without question, always treating them with dignity and respect.
My parents taught me to give what you would like to receive—to give your best, and to give without hesitation. Something that holds folks back from giving is the belief that we don’t have enough to give, or that if we give that $5 bill in your wallet, it may never come back. We wonder things like, “What if I need that extra unopened water bottle sitting in my cup holder?” even when we have a whole case at home.
I understand that during the holiday season, it’s easy to get wrapped up in consumerism—I too have fallen victim to a “sign up to get 15%” or a “BOGO” during these times, trying to get my family the best gifts I possibly can. But what I want to encourage everyone to do this season is to give to those who need it most as well.
Give without a reward or a stipulation. Give with no one watching or applauding you. Give without a hesitant spirit or scarcity mindset. Instead act from an abundance mindset, understanding that everything you need is right in front of you and that there’s always enough to give, however small.
As we move into a new year and enter this unprecedented political climate, it’s become a lot more convenient and popular to become individualistic. However, we must remember that we are not here alone.
We owe our best to other people because we share a home with them. We owe our best to our environment because it is our home, and we owe it to ourselves to expand our spheres outside of our own bubbles.
Consider giving back this holiday season—whether it be your time, your money, a meal or much-needed resources. Many individuals and organizations would value your investment of time or finances, including ours. I promise, by giving, you will gain more than you would ever lose.
This MFP Voices essay does not necessarily represent the views of the Mississippi Free Press, its staff or board members. To submit an opinion for the MFP Voices section, send up to 1,200 words and sources fact-checking the included information to voices@mississippifreepress.org. We welcome a wide variety of viewpoints.
