by Kemyia Austin

Created on: September 17, 2009

The holidays have become a misconception that the more you get, the more love someone has for you. My mom use to celebrate the holidays like no other. She would make a big meal with turkey, ham, cabbage, macaroni and cheese, cornbread, greens, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pecan pie, cheesecake, pound cake, cranberry sauce, cream spinach, and a whole lot more. The night before Christmas Eve, we would get to open one gift. Christmas day, we would come downstairs and everyone would take turns opening each others gifts. Then we would sit around the table and feast like there was no tomorrow. We would have music playing, loud noise and talking, it was a celebration of life. I felt like a home.

Now, the holidays are more like what I receive. This past Christmas was disappointing to me. My mother bought a whole bunch of gifts, expensive gifts that was unnecessary. It was really disheartening because there was no love. We all got good gifts and don't get me wrong, I am happy that my mom felt good that she was finally able to buy the gifts she thought we always wanted. What she does not know is that we had all the gifts we ever need. When people didn't have much to give, they would cook for someone, sing songs, or be creative. That is where the love comes in. There is no love in material things.

I am going to tell you like I would tell my mother, reclaim the holidays. Discover the origin of the holiday and don't misconstrue them as being something more than what they are. Valentine's Day was a day created for card companies to make more sales. It blew up because of the St.Valentines Day massacre. So we are actually celebrating the death of a drive by shooting. Christmas is suppose to be the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. 3 wise kings came barring gifts for the arrival of the new King. That is where the gift giving at Christmas time was derived from. But, the 3 kings gave something of value to show their appreciation and love. We give multiple gifts to show how much we love. There is a difference.

Reclaim the holidays and show the love that is meant to be shared on those most precious days. Life is a gift, so everyday should be a holiday.

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