Christmas Must Be Something More

Sorry for the recent silence after a multitude of blogs. I’ve been home for a week and just been enjoying myself and catching up on my Leaky work (transcribing for PotterCast and LeakyCon stuff) and then we went to visit relatives a couple hours away and we just got back yesterday. That was a lot of fun- they’ve got three dogs: a female pomeranian, a male australian shepherd, and a male rottweiler x german shepherd x chow mix. The rottweiler mix is my favorite, he’s so big but gentle and very loving. And soooo huggable. I got so dirty and covered in dog hair from hugging him so many times but he’s just that kind of dog. And to give you an idea of how sweet he is, the pomeranian was lying in the doorway and the rottweiler wanted to go through that doorway. You would assume a big dog like him would just step over her, right? Wrong. My aunt said that he never ever jumps over her, even though she’s so teeny tiny. He just stood there and waited until I called the little pom over to me and as soon as she moved he walked through the space where she had been lying.

That is kind of how I imagine we should act at Christmas. Not walking all over someone, or coercing them into buying you an expensive gift, just because you can. I imagine that we should act with compassion and understanding. Everyone comes from a different background and a different situation but we are all still the same and we more or less desire the same simple things: to love and to be loved, to receive that warmth and comfort at the holidays. To be told that you are important and you matter, and that it is MORE than just the presents we receive and the songs that we hear on the radio. Everywhere at the holidays you see the Salvation Army people with their red metal bowl with the slit in the top wearing a santa hat and ringing a bell, asking for donations. There are hundreds of soup kitchens and charities that collect toys for children, or you can support a family or one person through the holidays or purchase one gift for them that they really want by choosing it off of a tree. I know that for me, the reward in donating not just during the holidays but also throughout the year is the possibility that I made someone smile, if only just for a couple of hours, and that I have possibly made their life better if only temporarily. I helped someone. And that’s what I love at the holidays- giving to others who need it or have done so much for me.

There is a song that I would like to share with you guys. I’m a big country music fan, and Taylor Swift is my favorite artist. She writes all of her own music, or co-writes it all, and there is one particular song from her Christmas album that she put out last year. It is the title of this blog: “Christmas Must Be Something More,” and I have included a link to a youtube vid of this song (will open in a new window) and I will post the lyrics here at the end. But just listen to it and consider what is important to you this Christmas and what you really want, more so than that Wii or PS3, or perhaps more than a set of CDs or DVDs. What is something non-tangible that you really want this year for Christmas?

Note: I know this song has a little bit of a religious theme to it, and I apologize for those of you who don’t follow the same religion (I don’t mean to offend you!), but if it doesn’t bother you too much, please just listen for the message.

Christmas Must Be Something More
Artist: Taylor Swift

What if ribbons and bows didn’t mean a thing
Would the song still survive without five golden rings
Would you still wanna kiss without mistletoe
What would happen if God never let it snow.
What would happen if Christmas Carols told a lie
Tell me: What would you find?

You’d see that today holds something special
Something holy not superficial
So here’s to the birthday boy who saved our lives
It’s something we all try to ignore
And put a wreath up on your door
So here’s something you should know that is for sure
Christmas must be something more

What if angels did not pay attention to
All the things that we wished they would always do.
What if happiness came in a cardboard box
Then I’d think there was something we all forgot.
What would happen if presents all went away
Tell me what would you find?

You’d see that today holds something special
Something holy not superficial
So here’s to the birthday boy who saved our lives
It’s something we all try to ignore
And put a wreath up on your door
So here’s something you should know that is for sure
Christmas must be something more

We get so caught up in all of it
Business and relationships
Hundred mile an hour lives
And it’s this time of year
And everybody’s here
It seems the last thing on your mind

Is that the day holds something special
Something holy not superficial
So here’s to Jesus Christ who saved our lives
It’s something we all try to ignore
And put a wreath up on your door
But here’s something you should know that is for sure
Christmas must be something
Christmas must be something
Christmas must be something more.

There’s gotta be more
There’s gotta be more

———————-

Jingle Spells 2 is now available on itunes! Check it out here. If you have been looking for a charity to benefit, then this is your chance! All proceeds go to benefit Book Aid International, a charity that promotes literacy in third world countries. The more people buy it on itunes, the higher it will go on the charts and then more people will know about it, thus more people will buy it and be giving to charity! It’s an endless circle of giving to people who would be helped by it.