As Christmas draws nearer, it becomes apparently obvious of the struggles of many people.

A report was given recently that Black Friday sales this year were better than expected yet there are still large numbers of people without full-time jobs and little cash for Christmas celebrations. Prodisee Pantry (a local food bank) tells me they have been giving 1,300 people boxes of food every month for the past year as the economy and oil spill has taken its toll.

I remember September of 2010, when certain financial advisers on some evening news show foretold that homemade food and homemade Christmas gift-giving would become very common in our society for the up and coming Christmas holiday. I don’t think this occurred last Christmas but it certainly will occur this Christmas. 

The idea of cutting back in Christmas spending actually gives me great joy. Not that it’s great we are all so broke that we can’t buy gifts for each other, but that we take the time to create something of our own to give to our loved ones without all the hype.

In past years, Christmas was a painful experience for some. They could never give the kind of gifts to their children or family members most people would receive because there was no money to buy them. If we all realized the true meaning of Christmas giving, we wouldn’t be so stressed about all the “stuff” we have to do.

As Christmas has at times lost its meaning in years before, maybe as a people we can realize that the number and cost of gifts isn’t as important as being with their family. Maybe we can remember that a few gifts to our friends and family are the tokens of what is really the true meaning of Christmas giving.

There are so many wonderful events that are fun and do not cost much to help us remember the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas concerts and parties, festivals in the park, parades, night excursions to Christmas lights and baking Christmas cookies at home are just some of the memories we can create for our children.

Agnes Pharo says it well: “What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present and hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.”

We are alive on this earth and can do good for others. If we all had a glimpse of what George Bailey saw in the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life,” we would appreciate what we have so much more.

This is the season of love and giving to others.  Not necessarily expensive gifts but gifts from the heart. Not just in buying material possessions but in spending time and using our talents to share with our friends and family.  That is the true meaning of Christmas giving.

Contact Steimle at valeriesteimle@yahoo.com, www.stregthenyourhome.com or read her blog at www.valeriesteimle.blogspot.com.