Intangibles

Because God gave His only Son to die so that we might live a new life in Him, the presence of the indwelling Christ can stir within us a heart full of generosity - and because we have been given so much, we are called to share the riches of His Kingdom. 1st Timothy 6 examines our heart toward earthly riches:
17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share,
19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

In early November, the Gallup organization conducted a survey in which shoppers were asked how much they planned to spend at Christmas this year. Gallup's website notes:

• Americans’ latest estimate of the total amount they will spend on Christmas and other holiday gifts is slightly higher than what they estimated at this time a year ago. The latest $1,012, from a Nov. 6-20 survey, is up from $975 last November.
• The new poll also finds Americans less conservative than usual in how they characterize their spending, with almost as many saying they will spend more on gifts (19%) as saying they will spend less (23%).

The article goes on to say: "Gallup analysis of the historical relationship between Americans’ holiday spending intentions each November and actual holiday retail sales suggests that this year’s holiday sales will likely rise by a better-than-average amount, near 5%."

And, here's a tidbit for you: "Christians generally anticipate spending about $300 more on holiday gifts than do all non-Christians (which includes adults with no religious identity)."

So, did shoppers follow through?  To what extent were the projections accurate?

Well, initial indications were that this was a banner year for holiday shopping.  A USA Today article reports:

U.S. retail sales rose 3.8% between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, as intense promotion to drum up sales in what was expected to be a highly competitive holiday season for retailers prompted last-minute shopping among consumers.

The sales jump was well above a 3.1% increase last year, handily beating Mastercard's forecast in September of a 3.2% rise, with the last five days of the season accounting for 10% of all holiday spending.

These are numbers from Mastercard SpendingPulse, which "measures in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment."

These numbers come from a holiday season that was "shorter-than-usual," according to the article. Michelle Meyer, chief economist at Mastercard Economics Institute, is quoted as saying:

"The holiday shopping season revealed a consumer who is willing and able to spend but driven by a search for value as can be seen by concentrated e-commerce spending during the biggest promotional periods..."

And, online shopping showed growth, with the article reporting, "Online sales rose at a faster pace of 6.7%, compared with a 6.3% rise last year, with the apparel segment seeing strong demand."

While retail sales have apparently been brisk this Christmas, we can be motivated to examine the intangibles, I think. Because if our attitudes have been hijacked by the tangibles - what we can acquire, or the gifts we might put on our Christmas list, or finding just the "right gift" for others at Christmas - none of which are inherently bad, by the way - we might miss the focus on the birth of our Savior and those intangibles that He wants to develop in us, that He wants to make visible. 

Christmas gives us an opportunity to show generosity - for the right reasons, not out of a sense of being caught up in a sense of expectation in the giving and receiving of gifts.  We should always give out of the right motivation, and by so doing, we can reflect Christ's love flowing through us. This brings peace into our lives and joy into our demeanor.  We should ultimately keep the focus not on the visible we have received, but on the invisible that Jesus desires to express through us because we have received His free gift of salvation.