Magic or Materialism?

This morning, my usual cashier and I exchanged Christmas greetings when I pulled up to the Starbucks drive through. She told me that she and her boyfriend were having a contest to see who would get the most presents.

At lunch time, I drove past the mall and was dismayed by the honking congestion three lanes deep. Drivers disregarded the lights and parked in the intersections while a man on the corner held a scrap of cardboard that read, “PLEASE can U help.”

When did Christmas become an obscenity? What is it about this compulsion called Christmas that leads to guilt and anxiety, for families to fight over expectations, for people to go into debt and throw up their hands cursing the whole business?

Where’s the magic?

Dear Lord, PLEASE can U help?

Stop. Listen. What does my heart say?

I enjoy Christmas best when I remember why I celebrate it, not just as a time representing the birth of Christ, but as a time to celebrate Hope and the true nature within our soul – Love and Joy. We, ourselves, are the true magic of Christmas.

Each time we celebrate a holiday tradition, corny or classy, we celebrate the Love that brings us together. When we break our routine to do something different, whether singing songs with friends or decorating our houses with lights, we’re making magic. When we give a gift to each other, the gift is actually our heart wrapped up in pretty paper, vulnerable and open. Magic.

Beloved, thank you for this time of year when we look through the cracks of our normal life and see You within us.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Majeeda Rosa