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out of the snare that the rest of these people are
falling into!” I marched triumphantly to my car, but
in my mind, I was still troubled. As I was driving
home on the bustling city streets, I drowned out the
sounds bombarding me, and I began to seriously
contemplate about “the trap.”
Maybe there was no perfect gift. Did I
really
have
to go to the mall that day, only to buy something
that provides temporary pleasure? Sure, it shows
that I was considerate of others, but they still
would gain only momentary happiness. The
thought was perplexing. As I inched my car
forward in the traffic, I looked around with an
empty stare.
Every person I saw was either miserably lugging
extra-large shopping bags out of a store, or was
rushing into a store after cramming their SUV
with items they had just purchased. All the
people I saw, including myself, were being tricked;
everything I laid eyes on was the exact opposite of
what most Christmas songs and television ads said
they were. It was no longer looking a “holly-jolly,”
but rather a blue, blue Christmas.
The many thoughts I had on my mind became too
much for me. As soon as I skidded into our icy
driveway, I went inside my family’s house to look
for answers. The process was harder than I had
expected. I honestly did not know where to begin
my search. After personal deliberation, I thought
I would begin with finding the definition of “Gift.”
I pulled an old dictionary off the bookshelf, and
after pawing through several dusty pages, I found
it: a gift is a thing given willingly to someone
without payment. After reading this, I paused for
a moment, and then turned my chair to look at
a small crucifix on the wall, and then at a small
nativity setup in the living room. The puzzle pieces
began to fit together.
Practically everything I had questioned made
sense now!
All of my confusion had suddenly dissipated.
The people in the malls, the stores, and on the
streets were searching. The world had become so
modernized and non-traditionally oriented that
virtually no one had answers to this question of
why one gives a gift on Christmas! It had become
habitual.
Parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents have
always remembered the iconic “joy of Christmas
morning” and “the delight of seeing someone
unwrap a present.” Those times had existed, and
there really was true happiness and meaning at
Christmastime. That is why the exchange of gifts
began; it reminded the giver and receiver of the best
gift ever bestowed on mankind thousands of years
ago on Christmas Day—Jesus Christ. As with most
religiously-oriented events and practices, however,
the world twisted the holy day to become a holiday.
Instead of saying “Merry Christmas,” most now
exclusively say, “Happy Holidays” because they have
lost the significance of the Incarnation and birth
of Christ. The shoppers were too wrapped up in
Christmas. The clock was counting down, and I still
had not found anything that my parents and siblings
would enjoy…then an idea flew in.
I wasted no time in getting back outside to my car. I
hopped in, turned the key, and drove to resume my
search in the mall; this time I knew exactly where I
was going. God must have liked my idea; I found a
It was no longer looking a “holly-jolly,”
but rather a blue, blue Christmas.
10
BAYLEY BULLETIN, DEC-FEB 2016