This Christmas lets make a change

Season’s greetings to all the readers! It’s almost Christmas and the holiday cheer is pervading one and all. Christmas is an annual commemoration of the birth of Christ which serves as a reminder of everything good and all things giving. A rush of ecstasy coursed through me at the prospect of writing this article and penning down the numerous things that have made Christmas special for me over the years. Having studied in a missionary school, Christmas was a big deal and all of December was spent in a flurry of activity as carols provided background music to the long hours put in to make every Christmas a success.

Santa’s sack may not always be full of expensive goodies and gadgets but it is always full of hope. Christmas is all about giving and bequeathing. Any mention of the spirit of giving and Christmas is incomplete without mentioning the Chirstmas celebrations in my school. The event itself was an amalgamation of all the good things that the festival represents. It was a fun affair wrapped up in festive spirit.
We organaised fund raising competetions that was attended by one and all. And all the funds and money raised from the events were given to the lesser privileged like the rickshaw pullers and their families that lived in the vicinity. For me seeing that smile of true joy break on their faces was worth more than any other gifts I might get. To see that and realise that you were a part of something that brought happiness to others is surreal. And isn’t that chirstmas is all about? The spirit of giving and sharing ? And what could be better than sharing happiness to complete the revelry!

But what is it about Christmas that brings a smile to all our faces? Is it the tons of food or the n number of presents we exchange? Is it the parties we attend or the carols that instill a sense of serenity in us? What actually makes us happy is the sharing and the care -the smile on a child's face as they rip open the wrapping paper to discover their favorite toy that 'Santa' delivered, the unexpected message from a friend wishing you a merry Christmas, the scrumptious food the entire family shares and the generously given hugs.

Among all this celebration we often forget that small child looking hungrily through the window of a bakery or closer home, the helper who does the washing and cleaning as s/he shivers in the cold. Why exclude them from the fanfare of a festival that celebrates the very essence of giving? We have enough food to share some, enough warm clothes to donate some, a warm home to invite someone in and enough gifts to pass on some.

We all play Santa in a loved one's life, giving them gifts on numerous occasions. This Christmas let's play Santa to a few more. Give your helper and his/ her children some gifts, invite them over for a meal or better yet give them the gift of education with a few books. Donate warm clothes and blankets at a nearby shelter or orphanage. Instead of spending tons on lavish bashes, spend some time with homeless kids that you encounter every other day. If for nothing else give them gifts to see those innocent faces break out in a smile and touch your heart the way only children can. It will give you a sense of peace and contentment like no other and it shall be a Christmas well spent.

On this Christmas let's make a pact to be generous and loving and to care about more than just ourselves. Let's be Dickens' Ebenezer Scrooge, not one that dismissed Christmas with "Bah! Humbug!" but the reformed man who helped Tiny Tim walk. To a holiday season full of cheer and filled with books you want to curl up with, the entire team of India Book Store wishes you a Merry Christmas.