A Christmas Carol: Stave 3 The Ghost of Christmas Present
It was his own room. There was no doubt about that. But it had undergone a surprising transformation. The walls and ceiling were so hung with living green, that it looked a perfect grove; from every part of which, bright gleaming berries glistened. The crisp leaves of holly, mistletoe, and ivy reflected back the light, as if so many little mirrors had been scattered there; and such a mighty blaze went roaring up the chimney, as that dull petrifaction of a hearth had never known in Scrooge's time, or Marley's, or for many and many a winter season gone. Heaped up on the floor, to form a kind of throne, were turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, sucking-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince-pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch, that made the chamber dim with their delicious steam. In easy state upon this couch, there sat a jolly Giant, glorious to see:, who bore a glowing torch, in shape not unlike Plenty's horn, and held it up, high up, to shed its light on Scrooge, as he came peeping round the door.
Come in!" exclaimed the Ghost. "Come in, and know me better, man."
Scrooge entered timidly, and hung his head before this Spirit. He was not the dogged Scrooge he had been; and though the Spirit's eyes were clear and kind, he did not like to meet them.
"I am the Ghost of Christmas Present," said the Spirit. "Look upon me."
Much they saw, and far they went, and many homes they visited, but always with a happy end. The Spirit stood beside sick beds, and they were cheerful; on foreign lands, and they were close at home; by struggling men, and they were patient in their greater hope; by poverty, and it was rich. In almshouse, hospital, and jail, in misery's every refuge, where vain man in his little brief authority had not made fast the door and barred the Spirit out, he left his blessing, and taught Scrooge his precepts.
Are you done with all of your shopping? Are your lists complete? Have you got that one special gift for that special person? Have you been to Jared’s?
The “12 Days of Christmas” is a song about one person’s list of gifts for their true love. It is a unique song that has been turned into many a holiday joke. It is in fact a French song about a true love giving gifts to his true love during the twelve days of Christmas (Christmas to Epiphany). For the 29th year PNC Wealth Management has tracked the cost of a true love’s gifts for Christmas. This year the severe drought caused an increase in feed costs for large birds that helped generate a 4.8 percent surge in the 2012 PNC Christmas Price Index®. Based on the gifts in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” the price tag this year is $25,431.18 - a $1,168 increase over last year. The total cost of items gifted by a true love who repeats all of the song’s verses is the most expensive year ever: $107,300.24 for all 364 gifts - a 6.1% increase over last year.
For those who prefer the convenience of shopping online, the cost of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” gifts are 1.5 percent more expensive than last year and nearly $580 more than this year’s traditional price index. “In general, Internet prices are higher than their non-Internet counterparts because of premium shipping costs for birds and the convenience factor of shopping online,” said Jim Dunigan the managing executive of investments for PNC.
If that is not a startling picture of the cost/value of Christmas presents then considered this data:
The National Retail Federation estimates that $465 billion will be spent between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The American Research Group estimates that the average American plans on spending $646 for gifts. However, that number sits in contrast to the American Consumer Credit Card Council that states the average credit card debt per person is expected to be $935. Additionally, Forbes estimates that if you chose to not celebrate Christmas at all that you could save $1000 – flowers, cards, postage, tinsel, lights, donations, food, candy, drinks, shipping, and gifts. They also estimate you would save an additional $1000 by choosing to not travel during the Christmas Season.
In the spirit of giving, I found these comments by noted author John Marty to be both sad and humorous:
Most participants in gift exchanges struggle to find a suitable gift for the recipient “who has
everything”. So retailers sell us gift cards, allowing the recipient to choose what they want. Not
surprisingly, this has morphed into friends merely exchanging $10 or $20 gift cards. My cousin
and I decided to avoid the hassle of gift cards and simply exchanged $20 bills this year at our
family gathering.
Christmas Present has truly become the season of gift-giving or Christmas presents. And yet amidst all the gift-giving, Christmas is still the season where miracles happen. Neighbors speak kindly, strangers smile, unknown people open doors, strangers hold elevator doors, children do chores without complaint, unknown people give gifts and money to total strangers, and charitable giving is at its highest.
I contend that most of us remember when Christmas shifted from being about receiving gifts to being about giving gifts. And yet, I write today to argue that Christmas Present won’t hit you - until you rediscover the joy of receiving!
In the Christmas story, the shepherds were the first to receive the news of the birth of God’s gift for the world. The simple act of a child being born was shared with arguably the most meaningless people alive at that time. Yet it is the lowly shepherds who receive the first gift of Christmas – the good news – God is with us. They were filled with wonder and amazement. The shepherds did not respond with gifts. Their response after seeing and hearing everything was to spread the story – not to go shopping! In receiving the gift of Christmas, they discovered the joy of sharing it as well as they told everyone the story of what they heard and witnessed!
This Christmas season as you encounter God in the simple and seemingly meaningless parts of life, what will your response be?
When we receive the gift of “God with us” in all the small things, we are to be filled with joy from the receiving. And perhaps that is the spirit of Christmas - present?
We need to learn to be still and receive the unexpected surprises and the messages of wonder and love that God delivers – not only at Christmas, but throughout the year. It is our lesson and it was the lesson for Scrooge:
It was a long night, if it were only a night; but Scrooge had his doubts of this, because the Christmas Holidays appeared to be condensed into the space of time they passed together. It was strange, too, that while Scrooge remained unaltered in his outward form, the Ghost grew older, clearly older. Scrooge had observed this change, but never spoke of it, until they left a children's Twelfth Night party, when, looking at the Spirit as they stood together in an open place, he noticed that its hair was grey. "Are spirits' lives so short?" asked Scrooge.
"My life upon this globe, is very brief," replied the Ghost. "It ends to-night."
"To-night!" cried Scrooge.
"To-night at midnight. Hark! The time is drawing near."
The story of Christmas present- it is fleeting. Sad words that the spirit of Christmas present last only ‘til midnight for the essence of Christmas is subtle. It is like the air we breathe. It is like breathing itself. We don’t even think about it – The Spirit of Christmas just appears and then it is seemingly gone just like the cold air that vaporizes as we breathe disappears when the temperature rises in the spring.
Sad that our Christmas spirit disappears with the striking of the clock at midnight. I believe this happens for us because we miss the joy of receiving and get caught up in the giving. Therefore, when the season of giving is over we no longer are able to experience the joy of the season.
What leads you to worship each week? Like the shepherds, did you come knowing that this was a place to worship a newborn King? Or like the wise men are you here searching for something yet known to you?
If you come searching, do not leave without receiving the greatest gift ever given – eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. If you are still searching for the perfect gift to give, stop looking today and receive the gift that was given so long ago in Bethlehem in a manger. Be still this season and receive the greatest gift ever given.
Celebrate this Christmas – Christmas present - by receiving the gift.
The “joy of receiving” is the reason for the season.
May the spirit of Christmas be present with you today and all of your days.
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