Christmas is a special time of year when the young and the young at heart can become childlike again.

The Christmas season provides each of us an opportunity to rid ourselves of greed and envy and replace those carnal sins with love and compassion.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to exhibit love and compassion when television broadcasts are replete with images of police shootings and brutality in Ferguson, Mo.; Cleveland, Ohio; and Staten Island, N.Y., and a school shooting just last week in Portland, Ore.

In addition to these events the political environment and dialogue seem to embrace coldness rather than togetherness and community.

Times were different and much simpler when I was a child and this helped me embrace the spirit of Christmas.

While memories of my first Christmas spent in my grandparents' home are grainy, I recall a purity about the season that has remained with me.

I remember waking up to the smell of my grandmother's incredible cooking. I recall the gifts, the visits from relatives and the feeling I was wanted and loved.

My grandparents did for others rather than doing for themselves. This was particularly evident during the Christmas season.

Regardless of their financial status, they showered generosity on my sisters and me.

They gave because they wanted to, not because they had to.

The Bible in Acts 20:35 says, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

I believe this passage is especially relevant during the Christmas season.

What is giving?

Giving is offering an open ear and heart, and listening to another person in need.

It is lifting another person up who may be down in spirit.

More practically, it involves sharing who we are in the form of a gift.

Christmas is the perfect time for giving, even for some of us who may not be outwardly loving.

At its very core, Christmas allows us all to hear a story of an infant boy, born in the humblest of settings to a simple, yet faith-driven mother and father.

The story is of a boy who became a man who gives us hope and inspires many of us to strive for the good of others.

As we move closer to Christmas, let us dispose of the negative images and sounds we see and hear and replace them with a commitment to exhibit concern and love for each other.

Let us strive to become childlike, with eyes wide open to the wonder and curiosity of life.

If your heart is hard this Christmas season and you hold a grudge, try to forgive yourself or the person who may have upset you.

If you have a few extra dollars in your pocket and you notice someone in need, use it to make that person's Christmas special.

And, if you see another person whose eyes may be filled with sadness, offer that person a word or two of encouragement.

Christmas is more than the commercialization of the holiday season; it's a time of the year when all of us, in some small way, can become a ray of hope to another person.

This past weekend, I participated in the Live Bethlehem Christmas Pageant.

Each year, the pageant gives me the opportunity to become involved in a community organization and engage in the spirit of the holiday season.

During this year's performance, I was reminded to replace personal concerns and frustrations with a desire to rejoice in the spirit and meaning of Christmas.

This Christmas, take a moment or two, to breathe in the simplicity and beauty of life, and offer love rather than indifference

I wish each of you reading this a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Mark Reccek

editorial assistant

Whitehall-Coplay Press

Northampton Press

Catasauqua Press