Happy Holy Days!

As I approached the entrance to a store several days ago, I was reminded that the holiday season is here. When I noticed the ubiquitous red kettle and heard the tinkling bell, I realized that I only had a $20 bill in my wallet. "Way too much to put in the kettle," I thought. "I'll put a dollar in on my way out of the store when I get some change." And so I walked right past the bell ringer, my hands in my pockets, and wished him a Merry Christmas.

But thinking about that episode took me back to the time when I was on the other side of the red kettle. As part of a church mission project, I spent an afternoon ringing the bell for the Salvation Army. I stood out in the cold and watched people walk by without even looking at me as I called out "Merry Christmas." I watched them come out of the stores, bags filled with gift wrap and presents. But they walked right by me once again without stopping to put even so much as a coin in the kettle. "Where's Christ in this Christmas?" I asked myself. "Where's the holy in these holidays?

Ironically, it seems as though I had forgotten about that experience as I shopped a few days ago, because I paid for my purchases with a credit card and walked right out the other door to the store. I headed for my car without giving another thought to the bell ringer. Indeed. Guilty as charged. Where is Christ in Christmas? Where is the holy in these holidays?

A couple of days later, I found myself once again in the proximity of the ubiquitous red kettle, the bell ringer ringing away. But as I listened this time, I heard God calling me to the manger to bring a gift to the Christ child. So I not only opened my wallet, but also my heart as I pushed the wadded bill through the small hole. "Merry Christmas," the bell ringer called out. And happy holy days to you!