If you want to know how rich a person is, take a measure of how many things they have that money cannot buy. Friends, good neighbours, family, abiding love, growing faith, and hope are not available for a price. A study was done of 640 wealthy Americans and they found that the older a wealthy person got, and after they had accumulated all that they could, they would place their highest value on family. In fact, the study showed that if it were possible most were willing to part with a large portion of their resources to buy back lost time with those they loved. What these older wealthy people wanted is what you and I have access to this Christmas season, if we choose. We have a chance to love our own families, neighbours and friends and enjoy something that money cannot buy.
Yet it’s not easy. There’s a strange muddling of the Christmas message here in Canada. On one hand, Christmas carols, greeting cards, and even the Christmas Story shine a spotlight on those things that matter – family, friends, neighbours, faith, and celebrating the love we share. It warms my heart to think about cuddling my daughter, telling fun stories, and spending the season with my favourite people. Yet this beautiful time of year is often awkwardly interwoven with an ill-fitting message – your celebrations won’t be complete unless you buy a lot of stuff. 30% OFF! Free gift card! Remember the stocking stuffers! Christmas has certainly become a strange mix of oil and water.
A few years ago I was in Peru and learned about how Christianity had nearly vanished from a rural corner of the country. I was surprised and a local told me the story. He said that Christianity was too expensive for the farmers. They felt that every holiday required that people buy so much stuff and it simply became too costly. Christmas, and thus Christianity, was for rich people. So they decided life would be better without it. They boarded up their local church building and stopped celebrating Christmas. It was a sad, but telling, story. Christmas was never intended to be about the ‘stuff’ and when it was about the ‘stuff’ it collapsed under its own messy weight.
I wish somewhere along the way someone would have told those Peruvian farmers something very important: you cannot buy Christmas, it’s free to everyone. It’s a celebration of God’s love for you and everyone around you. That’s why at its core, Christmas is about people. Deeply loved, always valued, and so, so important people. At the core of the Christian Story is that we are people who are loved by God and live this out by loving our neighbours. Christmas becomes the most neighbourly time of the year. When Christmas is made to be about anything else, or when we muddle Christmas and shopping in a damaging way, we may miss seeing and loving those people who live right next door.
This is why my neighbourhood gives me hope this time of year. In the midst of the glowing lights and Christmas gifts, I find people who have chosen to make those things that matter their priority. Time with family, street hockey with kids, road trips to grandma’s house, and sharing meals together. On Christmas Eve hundreds of neighbours will come together to remember the Christmas story, and then we’ll be off to be with our friends and families. Through all the hugs, stories, and time spent together with others, I hope that somewhere deep inside of us we’ll be reminded afresh of the hope, love, peace, and joy we have been given to share. And that’s something money can’t buy.
