Searching for The CHRISTMAS Spirit

Right now the weather is cold, but there is no snow. There seems to be fewer Christmas decorations in yards about town. I have had a decent year for sure, I have a wonderful, beautiful, sweet wife, great sisters and an incredible mother. My friends are some the funniest people on Earth, not to mention genuinely decent citizens. I for some reason though am missing the "Christmas Spirit". I realized this Sunday night during "Black Nativity" ( also, I don't like gospel music). While there I got a little fed up with the birth of Jesus scene. Not because of the scene itself, but I just had some stale feelings about Jesus' relevance to the whole thing. Which is kind of messed up.
In thinking about this the last few days I also realized for the first in a while , I actually care about Christmas. Not the the traditional Jesus' birthday Christmas. Certainly not the commercialism. I want Christmas to mean something more to me than getting stuff from people or crashing through a store to buy something I could live with out. I truly love the idea of "Christmas Spirit", what it can be, what it should be, not what it has become.
This Christmas for me is going to be about being with friends and family. Spending time with the people I enjoy most, celebrating all the good things I have in my life. I really would like no gifts. I want anyone that had planned to spend any money on me to donate it. There is nothing that would make me happier this year than getting nothing and " in the spirit of Christmas" giving those less fortunate something to make there life just a little better.
I assume from checking my sitemeter that most everyone who reads this is in their post-college twenties to early thirties. I am going to also assume that most of you are struggling these days, unsure of what the future will bring. Just getting by, starting a family or still trying to find out what your next move will be in this strange and difficult time. I am going to ask you now in "the Spirit of Christmas" to do something.
If you find yourself in a conversation with a friend or family member and they ask you what you want for Christmas and an answer does not immediately come to you, think of someone else. Now I am not talking about not getting anything. I don't mean you miss out on something you really, truly need. I am saying if this person is someone who gets you something "small" every year and you generally never use what they get you. Request they do something for those who have even less than we do, who may not have ever had even a decent Christmas.
Think of it this way: do you really need another sweater you won't wear, 100th pair of wool socks, or some DVD or video game? Would you really cherish these items more than a kid getting a hot meal or decent sweat shirt or a new toy? Do you really need a gift certificate to a store you never go to, more than a children's charity needs any amount of money to help them? Will you really be happier this year with aunt Charlene's 12th year in a row of Christmas slippers? Just think if times are hard on you, how much harder they are those that are sick or have never had the opportunities we have had.
This also solves a couple of issues in regards to getting something you don't want or asking for something you don't need. That uncomfortable feeling of being the ungrateful Christmas giftee is eliminated. You won't have to thank someone for the "lovely bedazzled sweatshirt" falsely. You don't have to rolodex through things that you might have wanted at some point if someone asks, but you really don't need or you would have had it all ready.
To be honest I don't expect anyone to do this. I could just be depressed about work, the cold weather or maybe alcohol is really a depressant. It might be I'm bummed out that Christmas has turned into a time of year when instead of celebrating everything great we have, we trample someone to death to save a few bucks. So I am just writing this because I have been sad about Christmas this year. I have been thinking about what Christmas is supposed to be and as corny as this whole thing may seem. I think this is what will make Christmas just a little bit happier, at least for me. I would hate to speak for Jesus because I am sure he is being sick of mis-represented, but I bet he wouldn't mind if you and I thought of some one less fortunate this and future Christmases.

( I will not to be this sappy very often, but I am thankful for this blog and this opportunity to ask this of all (five) of you. Hopefully this is out of my system and I can be funny again, HAPPY HOLIDAYS)