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24 Dec 2020
3 Min Read
Eunice Liow (Guest Contributor)
Well, Christmas is here again. And if you look around you, it’s everywhere whether you celebrate it or not! Well then, I’ll ask you this: How are you feeling about Christmas?
The diabetic air on par with Valentine’s Day is now digital. There’s still no snow in Malaysia as usual. And it looks like Shopee is this year’s potential Santa..? Hmm, those indeed are interesting thoughts about Christmas, but what is your heart saying precisely? Is your fist-sized organ speaking the language of the “spirit of giving”?
One thing about Christmas is that it‘s an influential reminder to keep the spirit of giving alive and strong. Thomas S. Monson, a clergyman, once quoted, “Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is happiness because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for others. It is discarding the meaningless and stressing the true values.”
The spirit of giving is largely associated with Christmas, but when you think about it, it’s also abundant in other festivals of different cultures. For instance, Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Deepavali, the Harvest Festivals, and so many more! We receive monetary blessings from adults, and are only expected to grow up happy (or get married for some). Fireworks are set free to colour the night skies for everyone to admire. Families gather for a hearty meal and stay there to catch up and enjoy quality time together. See, the spirit of giving isn’t just during Christmas after all, is it? It’s everywhere!
We are so lucky to often be on the receiving end, wouldn’t it be awesome if you had the spirit of giving too? That touch of maturity makes your levels cooler! Planning surprises for friends and family members on special occasions, sharing your notes with other classmates, being the ray of sunshine in your household… Wait a minute, I’m pretty sure you’ve been doing most of these things already. Sweet! That means you have the spirit of giving in you too. The joyful feeling whenever you see those around you happy and benefitting from the things you did for them is a pleasant one, isn’t it? You don’t have much to lose with the spirit of giving if you can appreciate all the things in your life, even the little ones. And it certainly is a great way to show someone we care for them too!
Besides, the best part about the spirit of giving is that the one receiving the most aren’t the receivers, but you as the giver! There are many benefits that come with giving, and each benefit makes their way deeper into your soul as you give more, be it to close ones or society. The act of giving to others helps you to create values in your life, which leads you to happiness and provides a sense of fulfilment. Think about it, the compassion humans possess have helped to keep humans existing up until now, hasn’t it? It forms this entire community you currently live in; the cycle of give and receive repeating between you and society. Goodness, if you can guide others to create values in their own lives too, imagine your levels of euphoria!
The spirit of giving is a force to be reckoned with. This jolly season makes it all the more magical and stronger! The spirit of giving should be remembered in your heart on a daily basis, though it’s understandably hard to keep it alive every day. So, let’s slowly practise it step by step and see the results of our efforts and compassion someday!
