The traffic has thickened. Christmas music can be heard blaring from vehicles, stores and even street-side speakers. The chilly morning air is dense with dew, and our hearts are warm with the season’s festivities. Arguably, it is the most wonderful time of the year. As you move about these days, you can see the flurry of people in their hustle and bustle to get the right decor to deck the halls and just the perfect Christmas gifts for their friends and family members, who purportedly made the “nice list”. Simply put, Christmas has absorbed people into the commercialization and the pagan aspect of the season. And before we become too overly consumed with the decor, the gifts and the glamor, I implore you to not save it all for Christmas Day!

I sat with a dear friend of mine the other day, and we talked about the hustle and jostle that people go through to prove their love and seek approval from others at Christmastime. There are too many people who go out of their way and bind up themselves financially to deck the halls for a day and compete in gift-giving to consolidate friendships, appease family members and conform to the popular culture and society’s demands. And consequently, the great masses find themselves ensnared in this great “race to Christmas,” where it is believed that all must be in order for this day; and thus we burn ourselves out in anticipation of this day, saving it all for Christmas Day.

And we do all this in eerie abeyance of the fact that Christmas is a feeling. It’s something we should live daily. Contrary to popular culture, pagan beliefs and the trap of commercialization, Christmas shouldn’t be a day’s celebration where we shop, and decorate and save it all for Christmas Day! It’s a subtle feeling that should resonate in us all year through. We shouldn’t wait until Christmas to give a hug. It’s not only at Christmastime that we should offer a smile and give compliments of the season. It’s about spreading love and care, all year through and not just leading up to December 25th and lasting for a day or two, and fleeting thereafter…

There’s so many people who are crying, who are dying, so many people who are suffering and begging for love and support. We need not look far. No, you won’t meet them at those fancy department stores which have extended their shopping hours to facilitate you in this elusive idea. You won’t meet them in the decking aisles that hold the fanciest decors. They are your neighbors, your colleagues, your friends. It’s the elderly who are shut-in up the street; yes, your same street. It’s the child with the disability around the lane who is unable to run about and play and simply wants a friend. And if you’re wondering, yes, its the same lane around from you. It’s the homeless man and the needy family. They need our love and care, and so consider reaching out to them and let’s not save it all for Christmas Day!

Everyday is Christmas Day, and if we apply that same feverish energy that is propelled by the hustle and jostle to spread love, kindness and cheer all year through, Christmas will be something we live daily, and all year through. The anticipation that we build, and the things that we save up for one day should be lived and shared each and every day. And it should be done to the least among us. Not just to our favorite friends and our most treasured loved ones and endeared family, but in fact, everyone and all year through. Don’t save it all for Christmas Day; find a way to give a little love every day, because holidays have come and gone. See, the gifts will be forgotten, and the toys will be strewn across the yard. But the abiding love of friends and family, the happiness we create and the joy we spread will resonate for a lifetime

And so, as the day draws nigh, it’s not too late to freeze in your tracks and reconsider. That extra money that you were gonna spend on decor and gifts can be used to start a savings account. A little can be used to look out for a needy neighbor, a lonely child, a dejected homeless person and an indigent family. And moreover, these are some serious times. You don’t have to put yourself in a financial crunch to spend Christmas and seek the approval of others. A bit of food, some drinks, the togetherness of family coupled with the love and joy in your heart are what truly matter, and that is what will prevail. Hold on tight to yuh two shillings and focus on spreading love and joy and care to those you meet and to those who need it most! You’ll soon find out that it’s way more gratifying and fulfilling than any amount of presents under a tree. And if you’re in fervent anticipation of the day and if you’re saving it all for Christmas Day, consider:

“How many people are crying
People are dying…
How many people are asking for love
“How many people in this world
So needful in this world
How many people are praying for love
“So don’t save it all for Christmas Day
Find a way
To give a little love everyday
Don’t save it all for Christmas Day
Find your way
Cause holidays have come and gone
But love lives on
If you give on
Love…”
— Celine Dion.

Unchained Reflections Of A Liberal Pragmatist.