Merry Christmas?

Finally, finally Christmas is over. Peter and I are still trying to create our own traditions, and to break away from the incredibly secular perspective of this sacred holiday. This year we decided that we would open gifts on Christmas Eve morning, so that we can reserve Christmas day for the celebration of Christ's birth, and let me tell you, even doing that I was severely dissapointed with the end result. My kids began to immediately fight over EVERYTHING in sight, and we were dealing with temper tantrums and cranky, exhausted babies. Then, after the dust of all the exitement settled, I stood in my kitchen and looked out at the pile of useless, unnecessary things that our beloved (and well meaning) families had bestowed upon us. I could not release from my mind the picture of starving, nursing mothers in other countries stripping their bodies of health to provide nourishment for their children, and of starving, barefooted toddlers and preschoolers who sleep in filthy conditions at night. I began to cry. I simply have no words for the grief that I feel over the wasted dollars this Christmas. If I had asked for our families to spend half as much as they did on us, and put the rest toward someone elses genuine need, many, many people would not go to bed hungry. Somewhere, a sick baby could have medication that would save his life. Somebody could have shoes on their tired feet. Instead, my priveledged sons and daughters have toys that will break, toys that they will forget about one day. They were granted a fleeting moment of happiness when they could have seen true joy in sharing with those that have less. They could have been taught that Christmas is not about recieving, and really not even about giving. (After all, we do not give to strangers in need, but to family with more than enough.) It was a terrible day for me, and I could only cry out to my Savior to forgive me for my selfishness in allowing this to happen. Even now my heart breaks at the lost opportunity to share the love of Jesus. Oh, Father, help us to make wise choices in every moment of our lives! Help us to consider others better than ourselves, and help us to teach our children to share even when they (and we) think that there is not enough! Be enough for us, and make us content with our simple, daily provisions.