Christmas is just around the corner. Do you have a hard time getting into the swing of the holiday season?
I do.
I don’t know if it is because I don’t have little kids around the house, work is busy, or because there isn’t enough snow on the ground, but the holiday season sneaks up on me sometimes.
One thing that does get me in the mood is shopping for our YMCA Giving Tree. This year, our members, staff, and the community, including local churches and businesses, will support over 1,600 youth in our community who have very little under the tree on December 25th. Our “elves,” that is our volunteers, are busy sorting the gifts that come in and helping make sure that each child is cared for. Not only will each child receive a wish, they will receive items they need like clothing, hats, coats, and gloves. My wife Marianne and I went shopping for a family of four this weekend and I can say it helped ground me into the holidays. We even watched a Christmas movie as we sorted the presents for the kids.
More importantly than buying gifts and helping me get into a Christmas frame of mind, the lesson that I think we need to remember from the Giving Tree and the season as a whole is that we are here to “love our neighbor”.
We live in a world that is judgmental and condescending. Social media creates impressions that “I am not living the life of my neighbor and therefore I am jealous of what they are doing or where they are going.” In the meantime, no matter what my neighbor is posting about, they might not be living a life that is as full and rich as the pictures or the posts may suggest. They might be thinking you have a much better life because you post pictures of your family gathered for a family meal or your pets sitting on your couch. The mind plays funny tricks on us and we need to make sure we are not bowing to those thoughts.
As we head into and out of the holiday season, I challenge you to love your neighbor. Here are a few ideas:
- Support YMCA programs like the Giving Tree and make a financial donation to look after a family in need.
- Don’t have the funds to support another family? That’s OK, give your time and help sort the presents. Your life will be changed. Find a time that works for you in our Volunteer Calendar.
- As my church suggests, have a care package of water, personal items, and the like in your car and hand them out to people who might be seeking aid.
- Take some time and scrub your social media and reach out to your “friends” to check in beyond a post.
- Call your senior neighbor or even better invite them for a meal and provide the social connection they are longing for.
There are so many more and better ideas than I have laid out here. Hopefully, the list above gets you started.
As I remind staff when I teach a new staff orientation, the mission of the YMCA is to help keep the Spirit, Mind, and Body triangle on its point. A life of balance. Social connection and improvement are part of that balance. Our job isn’t to judge why something is happening to a family. Instead, our job is to get that triangle back to balance and help support, give a pat on the back, or the appropriate side hug when needed. Rich or poor, social or not, we are here to support all.
Or another way to put it? Love your neighbor!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
See you at the Y!
Steve Smith, President and CEO
Posted on: December 9, 2024