For the 2 months before Christmas, families and individuals hustle and bustle about to find the perfect gifts for their families. It is so intense that Black Friday starts on Thanksgiving! We all hold our breath for the morning where we can tear open the wrapping paper and play with out brand-new gifts. Christmas has become less of a Catholic Holiday and more of a commercial holiday. The true meaning of Christmas holds something deeper than the materialistic ideals that society holds today.

The figure of Santa Claus began as a man who dedicated his life to giving to the poor and to other people. He was like a Christmas St. Nick. Now, Santa Claus has become the figure who gives children what they want, regardless of how naughty or nice they have been. (Parents would not give their children coal for being naughty.) In commercials, children are asking for cars, and outrageous gifts like that. Those media images send out a message that is not okay.

Christmas is about one thing, and one thing only-God’s gift to the world: Jesus. He came down to save us from sin. The love that we should experience from him is the only gift we need. That message is all that Christmas should be about. It is a shame that Christmas has become such a materialistic holiday.

Sure, everyone loves to open gifts on Christmas Day, but let’s not focus on gifts. Let us focus on the gift of love that God gave to us.