12/25/2007: "Merry Christmas"
It seems like with the excessive commercialisation of Christmas, that people seem to only care about the presents they'll be recieving. As Jesus said "It is more blessed to give than to receive".
I'll be honest; I've never really paid attention to that verse and understood the meaning behind it. But this year and last, I've been learning that it truly is more blessed to give.
I'm on a lowly student income; so naturally it's very hard to buy presents on a meagre income. So I spent the past two days making chocolates for friends and families as small gifts to supplement the 'nice' gifts that I bought for them. I'm not tooting my own horn here, but I wanted to point out just how much fun it actually was, to make something for others and thinking of their reactions when they recieved it.
I remember when I was little just how much I looked forward to getting nice toys. But today when I was with my family, being given presents, I honestly really wasn't interested in what I was being given. That may sound a bit ungrateful I know. It was nice to be given something, but I honestly was far more interested in giving out the presents that I had bought and made for my family.
My wallet (and my burnt finger) may be the worse for wear at the moment, but the happiness I felt at learning the lesson of it is more blessed to give than to receive makes it all completely worthwhile.
Of course it sounds cliche; but try it anyway. Try to imagine the feeling of joy from giving someone something that you worked hard for and knowing how much they would love it. It's a great feeling =)
So Merry Christmas to you all, and I pray that the Lord blesses you in the New Year.