Christmas Means a Little Bit More

Several years ago I was talking to a very bright teenager and she said, “What if I didn’t have my life right now?”  I was a little confused and asked her to tell me more.  She continued, “What if I lived in a different family with less money and none of the things I’m used to?  All I know is what I’ve grown up with.  My life would be very different.  Maybe I wouldn’t be as happy.”  She lived a very comfortable life with lots of nice things so I could see what she meant.

I’ve often thought about this conversation in the context of Christmas.  What if my family woke up on December 25th and it was like the movie, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”?  Could we wake up like the Whos and still hold hands around a bare Christmas tree and sing??  I’m not sure I could be happy.  Imagine the ending of the movie if the fire of anger was ignited in the hearts of the Whos.  It would NOT be the beloved Christmas classic that we all love! 

If we take a lesson from the Whos we learn that happiness comes from what we believe in a circumstance, not the circumstance itself.  Sometimes I have such a difficult time wrapping my mind around that idea!  The Grinch said it best, “What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.  What if Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!” 

Now, before you decide to cancel Christmas in the name of finding “true” happiness, just consider why you do certain things this time of year.  What is that “more” that the Grinch mentioned?  Where do you want to put your focus this year?  Maybe you still do the same exact traditions or maybe you modify but consider what is in your heart—the thoughts and feelings behind all of the Holiday stuff.  So I’ll leave you to ponder, if it all disappeared, could you be happy still? What truly matters most?