As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm not expecting much in the way of gifts this Christmas, thanks to the still-recovering U.S. economy, but already I'm grateful for the togetherness I had with friends just before Thanksgiving, for yesterday watching a personal selection of Christmas episodes (Check Twitter to see which ones), for midnight Mass, where our deacon reminded us that Christmas is only a beginning.
For Christians, it is amazing that God took human form, but as much as the infant Jesus is adored, the Jesus who grew to challenge ideas of power, success, and sacrifice, must also be acknowledged. This is, in our deacon's words, "not keeping Christ in Christmas but taking him out," following his maturation through to a death for the sake of others.
This Christmas, I've been reminded most of all how truly kind it is to give and do for others. When we do for others, we may be expecting repayment, but essentially we're taking the chance we won't be repaid. I'm grateful that humans have this in them, whatever else you believe or reject. Writers serve by writing for an audience, relating to others' experiences, articulating what others cannot. None of this can happen writing simply for oneself.
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