I Believe in Christmas
by Cory Milligan

Everything I truly believe in can be found in the ideals of what I call The Christmas Spirit. Christmas is not just a holiday for gift giving, but I believe it is a feeling of peace created by an awareness of a true desire to become a better person. Giving gifts is fun and a very enjoyable activity. However, it seems that it is the one activity that often detracts from what I see as the ideals of Christmas. To me, Christmas is a desire to serve others; it is a set of ideals, an inner peace to strive for throughout the year.

As a child, Christmas meant waiting for Santa Claus, getting presents, and complaining about Dad's tradition of waiting until after breakfast to open our presents. Christmas meant sneaking through the living room and trying to identify whose presents were whose. Yes, as a child, Christmas meant something very different than it does to me now.  However, the same values of service are displayed and the same feelings of warmth and excitement well up in me today as they did when I was a child. Even Santa plays a big role in reminding me of the ideals of the Holiday season, for sewn up in his suit he is the symbol of forgiveness. As the scriptures tell me,  "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as wool."  In other words my sins, my imperfections, my impurity can be forgiven and I can be made whole.  The peace of forgiving imperfections is the greatest gift I can give or receive.

When I think of Christmas I think of big fluffy snowflakes falling to the earth while I am inside next to a cozy warm fire. I can close my eyes and imagine the smells of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, fresh rolls, apple pie, wassail, and peppermint candies. I imagine the smell of fresh Christmas trees. I can see boughs of holly, blinking lights, red ribbons and displays of devotion. I can hear the ringing of jingle bells and Christmas Carols being sung by neighbors and friends. I imagine families gathering together and sharing memories of years gone by. I can even hear my father's voice as he reads his wide variety of Christmas stories. I imagine children climbing up on Santa's lap to share their hopes and dreams of what they want to wake up to on Christmas morning. All I have to do is close my eyes and I am there at peace with myself and the world around me.

These feelings of peace have not always flourished inside my mind. I remember lean years when I could not afford a gift for my wife or child. Our Christmas tree one year was a poor feeble houseplant that we couldn't put any more than tinsel on. I remember a Christmas when we wrapped up a picture of what we wished we could have given had we the money to get something. Reflecting back, these experiences have shaped my belief that Christmas is not just a holiday for gift giving but a peace created by an awareness of a true desire to become a better person.

I believe that I can make a difference in this world by sharing what I call the Christmas spirit: displaying a joyful countenance, saying hello, being kind, courteous, respectful, and sharing a  piece  of myself with others through the Christmas Holiday and throughout the year. It is my responsibility to weave those ideals of Christmas into my life and make the world a better place one person and one season at a time. No matter what the calendar says, when I am at peace with myself and with others, it is Christmas

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