Christmas time is one of those seasons where you are always trying to decide what you want other to give you for Christmas...how many of us consider the fact we can give to others without even spending a single penny? (not that buying other people presents isn't fun -- because it is!)
I love this quote from Marvin J. Ashton, it helps me better understand what I can to have the true Christmas spirit...
"Charity is, perhaps, in many ways a misunderstood word. We often equate charity with visiting the sick, taking in casseroles to those in need, or sharing our excess with those who are less fortunate. But really, true charity is much, much more.
Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself. And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again...
Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other."
(Marvin J. Ashton, “The Tongue Can Be a Sharp Sword,” Ensign, May 1992, 18)