To Give is to Love

Close your eyes. Take in a long, deep breath and listen attentively. What do you smell? What do you hear? I smell the coldness of the Christmas air that hangs like a fragrant, saccharine flower. Coldness that seems to tickle my nerves and cause me to smile. I hear the soft singing of little children parading through the streets, giving out simple joys for onlookers and passers-by.

I take a walk down the street and what captivatingly caught my eye is this. A little child, not older than three years old, was taking off her jacket to offer to her shivering mother. She herself was quivering but when her sickly mother started yet again another coughing fit, she couldn’t take it any longer and took off her all too small jacket and offered it, against her mother’s disapprovals. Both mother and child were beggars, living off on alms handed out to them. They lived on the street by the church corner and waited for some sort of miracle to happen.

That simple gesture of warmth and caring was enough to set my heart to a shudder. This child indeed holds within her the true and real essence of generosity in such a cold and unkind time.

The true essence of Christmas and giving is not found under the roof of a very wealthy family who shower their spoiled kids with toys and gadgets while they are away at work, it is found under a “nipa” roof of a complete family sitting in front of the table, sipping soup, looking into each others eyes, ready to offer their bowls to the little ones who still yearns for more.

Generosity and Christmas are truly intertwined with one another but do not necessarily mean gifts and material things. It could be hugs that could be offered by anyone or smiles that would always warm somebody’s heart. It is with open hands and full hearts that one gives or receives during Christmas. No trace of malice or anything of the dark side is ever present in the real meaning of giving. It is done with clean hearts, pure motives and a sweet smile.

Simple gifts will truly light up even the world’s most cruel person’s heart for the reason that every human being loves a good gift regardless of how bad we might assess or judge that person. Giving something to anybody on a Christmas day would mean a lot to them, especially to the ones who regard themselves as impossible to cope with or those loners who never expect any kind of generosity from anybody.

On a Christmas day, one must be thankful and do enough good things to put a smile to God’s observing face up there in heaven. Let us constantly bear in mind that God relentlessly watches us and it would truly be a good thing if we, Hs children, do the things that he wanted us to do during our stay here on earth. That is to make everybody here in the world feel loved in accordance to God’s law that says ‘Love thy neighbors as thou lovest thyself.’ Love is giving and to give is to love. Let us be generous enough.

Christmas is in the air and coldness sweeps over the entire world. Let Giving be that warm blanket that would slowly bind and envelope us in the oneness and the unity that is true and real meaning on Christmas. Let that small child who offered her mother the blanket be our model of the things we are supposed to do.