No Charge For Proper Spirit

Sat., Dec. 16, 1995

Shelly Bacon Special To Opinion

It was early November when the first snow of the year fell. Panic set in! The kids did not yet have their winter boots or snow pants. Knowing full well that the first snowfall always melts within hours, I still proceeded to the nearest department store after first picking up the kids from school.

It was obvious from the crowded parking lot that Spokane’s whole North Side had the same idea. I unloaded the kids from the car and we all trampled across the dirty slush and made our way into the crowded store. I felt myself breathe a deep sigh. I couldn’t believe my eyes. They had already peeled away the Halloween shelves and unrolled the Christmas aisles.

We found the shoe department and began to try on boot after boot. The area was busy and the words of the day were: “Excuse me,” “Pardon me,” and “Could I grab that pair?” After all of that chaos, we found only a pair of boots for my son.

As we made our way to the check-out stand, I could see and hear Christmas all around me, or could I?

Standing in line, the kids began to fight as they wound up Santa toys and rang little bells. Suddenly I felt overwhelmed at what I was experiencing. I became silent inside myself. I felt as if I were in a dream. A bad dream. “This is not Christmas,” I thought. “Christmas should be nothing like this. Where is the peace? Where is the love? Where is the wonder?”

But most importantly I wondered: “Where is the true meaning of this holiday? Where Is Jesus?” I felt tears well up inside of my tired eyes. “I can’t do this!” I said to myself. “I won’t! Jesus is still here. He is in my heart.” I made a promise to myself that day. By keeping and sharing His spirit in me, I would try to bring some of the peace, love, wonder and most importantly, Jesus Christ back into Christmas. After all, without the gift of Christ, there never would have been Christmas.

So this holiday, my family and I are putting the emphasis on giving rather than receiving. I took my three kids shopping and we picked out three presents for children whose names we’d picked from the Tree of Sharing. I told them: “We are giving gifts this year to children who may not get anything, even from their parents.”

In our home, with friends and family, with neighbors and strangers we are trying to live out the truth that says: Jesus is truly the reason for this season.

MEMO: Your Turn is a feature of the Wednesday and Saturday Opinion pages. To submit a Your Turn column for consideration, contact Rebecca Nappi at 459-5496 or Doug Floyd at 459-5466 or write Your Turn, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210-1615.

Your Turn is a feature of the Wednesday and Saturday Opinion pages. To submit a Your Turn column for consideration, contact Rebecca Nappi at 459-5496 or Doug Floyd at 459-5466 or write Your Turn, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210-1615.

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