As the weeks rush towards the holiday seasons, we tend to lose focus of the ultimate source and purpose behind these joyous occasions. Thanksgiving comes and goes, and soon Black Friday – with its flashy promises of finding the “best deals” or the “biggest sales” – quickly consumes our attention. Then in a flurry we are suddenly trying to purchase all the gifts we need for the Christmas season and end up spending the Advent Season scrolling for the “best” gifts of this year…

In the spirit of ecological spending, this year – instead of only thinking about how much we give or how much we spend – perhaps we should pause and reflect on how we give in general. Ironically, even if we know to give to others in the season of giving, we still give in a consuming way and often thoughtlessly contribute to the “throw away” culture of our times. But do we give of ourselves? How much are we willing to give of our time and talents?

The mysterious gift of the Incarnation aids in better understanding the gift of relationship and what that means for our lives – at Christmas God gave us His only Son Jesus Christ and through this mystery God Himself humbly enters the world amidst a resounding hymn of joy from all of Creation.  “And Heaven and Nature sing…while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy” – it is not without reason that one of our most popular Christmas hymns includes these lines of praise. This truly is the turning point for all of nature and all of mankind.  Caryll Houselander, a mystic and Christian writer from the 20th century, puts it well in her work titled The Reed of God where she writes “the sense of joy in anything is the sense of Christ”. And ultimately the one thing Christ most wants to give us is Himself – in prayer, yes, – but most deeply in the Eucharist. Christ yearns for a relationship with each one of us and most especially at this time when He became man and joined the human race. 

Yet this humbling reality ought not to dissuade us from gift giving – on the contrary, it should challenge us to give more by giving better; by giving less “stuff” and more of ourselves. Here are some tips for giving in the generous and simple spirit of Christ this Christmas:

• Give something handmade. Even with a few mistakes, handmade gifts often mean the most. The time and talent it takes to make a meaningful gift for someone shows how much careful thought and intention went into the gift itself. A piece of the artist is in every piece of his art.

• Give an experience instead of material things. Some people don’t need more “stuff”, but would love a new experience or a day doing something they already enjoy. A state park pass can be a gift that lasts all year. Museum and art gallery passes/memberships, cooking classes, and local cuisine tours are also great gift ideas.

• If there is a gift you are shopping for, keep in mind how to respect creation in your purchasing options. Shopping locally not only helps local businesses and economies, but also reduces the impact these products may have on the environment. In addition, researching ethically sourced products (such as shade-grown coffee vs sun-grown coffee) can even have positive global impacts!

• One of our most precious things in today’s fast-paced world is time – which is what makes this commodity such an immense gift as well! Arranging a coffee date with a coworker or spending a day with a loved one can be great meaningful gifts and in fact is a gift that gives back in the time well spent with the other person.

This Christmas let us rejoice at the coming of the Saviour and “make room” in our hearts not for more “great deals” or “big sales” but instead for the Person of Christ found in all those around us. For, again in the words of Houselander, 

“Christ asks for a home in your soul, where he can be at rest with you, where he can talk easily to you, where you and He, alone together, can laugh and be silent and be delighted with one another.”