WHAT COUNTS ISN’T UNDER THE TREE BUT IN YOUR HEART

The first thing kids ask is, “What are you going to give me?” Not only kids, but I have friends who ask me what I am going to give them.

We are Christmas. It is the gathering of people who know that Christmas is not about giving gifts but of oneself to others. It is our own rebirth and hopefully reinventing ourselves as better people for the years to come. Teach your children well, and they’ll pass on your traditions for generations to come. Abuelos or grandparents are key as mentors!

Remember it is not our birthday. In this material world, we lose all sense of the true meaning of whose birthday it is. The pressure of keeping up with family members who may have the means and others who may not make it kind of stressful. It’s not what’s under the tree that counts but what’s inside your heart. Remember it is the who that defines you, not what you give! The what is driving the Christmas sled. The first thing kids ask is, “What are you going to give me?” Not only kids, but I have friends who ask me what I am going to give them. Unbelievable. Really, I know a lot of people who have gone through this. These conversations turned into “What am I going to get?” and never “What am I going to give you?”

The real meaning of Christmas is in three words: love, joy and hope.

Love is the most powerful word in all religions and belief systems. It is the essence of the greatest gift because it comes from the heart. True love is the glue that keeps us together no matter what. Give it as a gift. I heard my priest say that joy was an exaltation of a feeling that one gets from the heart and makes you breathe easier. This is what we all strive for. It is a release of tension, stress and anxiety. I love the theater because it always gives the joy of Christmas. So give more joy to your life and to others, and breathe easier and live longer. Esperanza or hope is the light that shows us that good things happen with faith.

Where we celebrate Christmas is important, but it’s not necessarily about a location. The locus is in your heart. That’s what Christmas really is.

As you get older, things change, from big reunions to small gatherings, and then you are left alone with your memories of past Christmases. Why do we celebrate Christmas? Because it’s the birth of Jesus in the Christian faith and the holiest days of the year. The birth of Jesus is celebrated on Dec. 24 and Dec. 25, but my mother and father always told me that you can celebrate Christmas every day if you want.

The holidays are celebrated all over the world in many forms and many ways. The Jewish community and my Jewish friends celebrate Hanukkah with great respect for eight wonderful nights and days.

How we celebrate is the most important part of it. It is what makes everything work. You are the master of the outcome. You can make it stressful or not. To have a great Christmas is how you put the pieces together. The how is the outcome of everything. If you know how to do things the right way, then your holiday will be great. It is teamwork. We’re all in this together.

Feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo. I want to wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!