The Christmas season comes with a lot of activities – children’s carol services, church activities, gift shopping, weddings and various functions to attend, concerts, wining & dining… there’s so much to cater to whatever your entertainment preference might be. There is also a tendency in the midst of all the hustle and bustle to forget the reason for season.
Some children were asked, “What does Christmas mean to you?” Their answers included
- “To celebrate Jesus and his birthday”;
- “To visit my grandma, eat plenty food & get plenty presents”.
- “Christmas is when my parents take me to father Christmas”
- “I’m a teenager and just being real. Christmas is shopping and buying new clothes, hanging out with my friends”….
Adults if asked the same question would probably give more erudite answers like “giving to the less privileged”, “sharing the love of Christ” or “spreading the message of peace”. For some it’s just a period to take a very well deserved rest.
All these answers are great and show the multifaceted nature of the season. However if I were to summarize all these answers into one word, it would be KINDNESS. The true essence of Christmas is kindness.
Christmas is when we…
- Celebrate the birthday of the greatest man who ever walked the face of the earth – Jesus. He is the embodiment of kindness. Willing to come as an ordinary man in spite of his deity, identify with humanity and die for mankind so that we can live…that is kindness.
- Decorate our homes, the streets, malls etc. and make everywhere look beautiful…that is kindness.
- Visit with and give gifts to family, friends and acquaintances as a sign of affection and to let them know we care and appreciate them…that is kindness.
- Visit the less privileged; share of the gift of our time and substance with them…that is Kindness.
- Take time to rest and relax…that is kindness (yep! We should be kind to ourselves too).
As we continue on our journey of preserving a culture of kindness, let’s determine to deliberately ensure that our children don’t loose sight of the true essence of Christmas.
I wish you all a memorable Christmas full of joy, peace and love and an awesome 2016 with loads of parenting tips & gist on www.parentinvestment.com.
ParentInvestment 
Charity,… Seems ParentInvest is taking a well deserved rest (that’s kindness😀)… But really the articles, tips, cautions, revelations, etc have been great… We sometimes really don’t realize there’s lots you’re not aware of until someone else shares a perspective on an issue that’s been in your face for so long and it suddenly dawns on you that perhaps you should have handled that lovely child differently… That’s been the power of ParentInvest in 2015… So…. you’d better get plenty of rejuvenating rest this holiday season ‘cos your followers are waiting !!!
Merry Chirstmas……
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