Does giving gifts take away from the true meaning of Christmas?

That's up to you. It will take away if you let it.





I have two sisters and one brother. Our parents are dead. We are not wealthy but we are comfortable. None of us need the latest crap sold from walmart. So we now give the best gifts we've ever given each other.





We give gifts anonymously or provide some service to our community. When we get together at Christmas time we have a bag of cards with the recipients name on it. We all use the same font in our little form so no one knows who gave the gift. We all take turns guessing who gave the gift.





An example of our gifts to each other are:


Rang the bell for the Salvation Army for three days.


Provide food and equipment for the animal shelter.


Made a deal with a local gas station to fix flats for free to any one who seems needy.


Bought some furniture for someone who lost their house in a fire.


Washed dishes at the homeless shelter.


Bought new tires for an elderly couple who makes frequent trips to the doctor.


A new mattress and blankets for the homeless shelter.


Provide a week of child care for a young single mother seeking a job.


Gave new box fans for a local radio station to disperse during the heat spells.


Took blind people to the grocery store to help them shop.


Donated smoke detectors for the fire dept to give those in need.





The list goes on and on.





It's not hard to look around and see the face of human need. It's to easy to ignore it.





These are the best, happiest, yet most tearful Christmases we've ever had.





(BTW this year my little brothers gift from me... I've been going to all of the pawn shops I can and buying up all of the purple heart medals that are there. Purple heart medals are marked with a serial number. With the help of the Dept of Defense I'm going to find the person or family that medal belongs to and get it to them. I've sent 7 of them out already!)





So, what are you going to GIVE for Christmas?Does giving gifts take away from the true meaning of Christmas?
No, not really. Many Catholics give gifts on the Epiphany, when the wise men visited Christ. If you are worried about gifts and Christmas, then share on the Epiphany. Or better yet, donate old cloths to different groups, or volunteer at a local nursing home. Give the gift of happieness this holiday season!Does giving gifts take away from the true meaning of Christmas?
I thought the true meaning was giving?