Need before Greed

By Charis Seeley

I’ve never gone shopping on Black Friday. The crowds, the lines, the chaos, none of it appeals to me. I’m not a very aggressive person. Every year there’s a terrible story of someone who was injured at a Black Friday sale. If I went, that person would likely be me.

It is amazing to me that an event that started as a way to get lots of Christmas shopping done has turned into a day of buying as much as we can. And not because we need it or really want it, but because it’s there and, well, we can.

When my mom asked me what I’d like for Christmas this year, I gave her an unexpected response. Since leaving the house and starting my own family, Christmas gifts have become an awkward dance. My husband and I have been blessed and if we really need something, we go buy it. We don’t wait for Christmas to come around. So, really, there’s nothing I truly need; I already have enough.

I know so many adults who say the same thing. What do you give someone that can easily afford what you’re giving them? I’m exhausted of buying gifts that I know the receiver doesn’t need and very well may not use. So I proposed a solution to my mom.

I told her about a Christian organization called World Vision. They work in impoverished parts of the world, helping struggling communities and families. On their website, you can purchase farm animals like chickens, goats, ducks, rabbits, and World Vision will give them to struggling families. The animals provide food, clothing, fertilizer for crops, and can be sold at market to cover the cost of other basics a family needs.

What would I like for Christmas this year? For myself, nothing. My mom feels the same as I do. Our lives are already so blessed. What more do we need? We won’t be exchanging physical gifts this year. Instead, we’re giving our business to World Vision and celebrate the birth of Christ (while skipping all the lines and chaos) and remembering that in Christ, we already have everything we need.

And, honestly? I think it may be the best Christmas yet.