Celebrating the Birth of Pure Love

I've been thinking about what Christmas means to me. I have a hard time with it because of the commercial aspects, because of all the lies that have been told and a variety of other reasons. It disturbs me to see people acting so unlike themselves just for one day. As a street lady said to a volunteer one year at a homeless shelter's Christmas Day lunch..."where are you the rest of the year?".

What is it about Christmas that brings out the best in all of us? Why do we allow ourselves the luxury of being in a mood of goodwill only when appropriate? Are we just being swept by the momentum, due to seeing everyone in a mood of goodwill?

Sometimes it feels like we are directed by a mood machine, controlled by the marketers of the world. By the day of the holiday, we are so brainwashed that if we don't get what we feel that we deserve, we think there's something wrong with us.

Indeed, expectations and stress are so high during the holidays, that more homicides and suicides are committed than at any other time of the year. What a sad state of affairs!

Well, I can't accept that. I won't love just when someone tells me it's the right time for it. I am who I am, and I love every day, not just on Christmas Day. The way I see it, once I know how good something feels and how to replicate the feeling anytime, I do it as much as possible,  not just on holidays.

Christmas is symbolic of the birth of Jesus, the greatest teacher of all time. Jesus is the symbol of pure, unconditional and complete love. Therefore, celebrating Christmas is celebrating the birth of Love.

About two thousand years ago, Jesus was born, and as he grew, he became the man who would teach a new way of living. Jesus taught for only three years, but his teachings are so powerful that they're still alive today. His spirit lives in all of us because his message is simple: "Love one another as you love yourself".

Maybe I'm totally biased. I fell in love with Jesus when I was 13, and no one ever matched up, never even came close. I'm not saying that people are bad, just that no one I know is completely like Jesus, and I'm not talking about miracles. I'm referring to character, ideologies, disposition, ways of thinking and being. For that matter, I'm no Christ either, don't get me wrong.

In my eighth grade religion class (as it was still called in the mid-seventies), the teacher asked if anyone knew the meaning of "charisma". Some of the definitions are: "to be Christlike", to be filled with Christ, to exude magnetism, like Christ.

WOW! Whenever I read the word charisma describing someone, I look at the person and wonder if they really fit the description. I noted however, that this splendid word is rarely used.

What does it mean, to be "Christlike"? If you know Jesus, then you know that this would be the highest compliment anyone could ever pay you. I found throughout the years that the more I learn about Jesus, the person that he was while he was here on earth, the more I love, respect and admire him. He was here, on this earth, and he faced all the trials and tribulations that we all face everyday, and he still remained pure of heart. To be Christlike is to be whole, enlightened, wise.

I want to be like that, and I do what I can to be like that every day. Christmas is a time of evaluation, I suppose. It's an opportunity to look at how I behave on a regular basis, and ask myself if I'm being "Christlike".

Christmas is also a time of compensation. We get to make up with gifts and goodwill what we neglect to do throughout the year.

Above all, Christmas is a time to be grateful. Yes, grateful, for the opportunity to have this journey called Life. It certainly has its ups and downs, but it gives us the blessing of knowing LOVE. 

My wish is that everyone who sees this message feels blessed and loved. In my humble opinion, joy is truly joy only when you share it. I prefer to cry alone, and laugh with company.

Every year, I feel a little differently about Christmas, because I understand a little more. I couldn't understand what I do if I didn't cry the buckets of tears I do, so I'm grateful that I have the strength to cry them. Life gives us what we need.

I know you'll have what you need and I hope you get what you wish for.

Happy Holidays!

Carmen Colombo