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| The annual after-Christmas trash pickup is a major chore for city sanitation workers. |
Walking through our neighborhood yesterday I observed street after street lined with piles of trash, the sad aftermath of another holiday celebration.
It's not that some generous gift giving can't be a good thing. But how can this excessive waste of evergreens, bows, wrapping paper and UPS cartons in any way honor the birth of Jesus?
An issue of the newsletter “Whose Birthday is it Anyway?” produced by a group called Alternatives of Sioux City, IA, offers the following thoughts on Christmas gift giving:
"The giving of gifts is essential for human relationships. The traditional purchase of gifts is essential only to our convenience and to the necessity of profits for business. The highest form of giving involves the giving of one’s self. So don’t look at catalogues or go to a mall to ‘get ideas’ for what to give. Make a Christmas list and a Christmas budget before the season arrives, and stick to it. If you do purchase some of your gifts, consider buying from local producers, or purchase hand made gifts from artisans from around the world who are preserving traditional crafts and skills and are working at becoming more self-reliant. With every purchase ask these questions:
Does this gift reflect the faith and values I want to share?
Does the material from which the gift is made reflect careful use of the environment?
Does this gift encourage activity rather than passivity; self reliance rather than dependence?
Does this gift stimulate spiritual, mental or physical growth?
Who profits from the purchase of this gift?"
Surely anything associated with Christmas, which means Christ-mass, or Christ worship, merits our asking the question, “What would Jesus give?” as well as asking, “What would he most like to receive?
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