Although many of us lament the hyper-commercialization of Christmas, with decorations now showing up before Halloween—full-blown by Thanksgiving—and Black Friday sales starting in October, I’ve begun to realize that there may be a seed of good in it. The term “Christmas” comes from the combination of the words Christ, or “anointed one”, the title given to the expected savior sent by God to redeem humankind, and mass. While the holiday has gradually moved away from its strictly religious observance, most people, Christian or not, celebrate it.

With the introduction of Santa Claus, the tradition of gift giving has become so central to the holiday that we often don’t appreciate its origins, as outlined in our instruction manual, the Bible. In Matthew chapter 2, the Magi came bearing precious treasures to give to the baby Jesus. Over the centuries, as now, many have used the gift-giving aspect of Christmas to achieve their own ends, which often involve financial gain and/or self-aggrandizement.

But the seed of good which cannot be denied or hidden is that Christmas is inextricably connected to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It germinates when all the commercial expressions of the holiday such as the ubiquitous manger scene with the three wise men; bright stars or even paper stars; and gold and silver everywhere inevitably lead us back to specific occurrences and references in the Bible.

That seed will blossom into many seeds as people dig deeper, coming to better understand and then believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ: that He died on the cross and was resurrected to redeem our sins, and that by our faith in Him, we are saved. What a seed of good! I’ll take the hyper-commercialization any day if it gets the word out and starts those seeds growing.

Another manifestation of this seed of good is the collective call to love one another and a heightened sense of togetherness as a human family. The Christmas holiday season is an almost involuntary time of uplifting humanity because there are no laws, rules or incentives that make it happen; it just happens. Even more amazing and heartening is that year after year, at least a few lives will be transformed to be more caring toward themselves and others, to reconnect with families and friends, and to begin a lifelong walk with God as a result of this magical time.

I’m so proud that this magazine’s December theme is “Uplifting Humanity”. Our goal is to bring added value to the discourse at this busy time of year by focusing on the qualities that define our best potential as humans—helping, caring and sharing. These qualities are so fertile within us during the Christmas holidays. They are the reason for the season.

In our feature article, “Togetherness Thinking: Meaningful Conversations That Can Transform Our World,” Linda Sechrist explores how to create positive change from different angles and perspectives through the spirit of interconnectedness that we all share. It certainly reinforces my own observation that even involuntarily, (I guess there’s something in the air) people are more open-hearted during this season, more willing to hear new points of view, share new information, and try new things. We also show how one North Texas institution, Celebration Restaurant, has been fostering togetherness for more than 50 years now, serving meals family-style in semiprivate rooms; and how another, Break Bread Break Barriers is also leading with food by bringing together North Texas immigrants for employment, service to the community and compassionate care.

Speaking of food (a leading player throughout the holiday season), our Conscious Eating department puts a healthy twist on some favorite holiday recipes, and our own Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Division weighs in with some additional healthy ideas. I’ve already selected three of the recipes in this month’s issue to be on my family gathering table. Hopefully, you will find some that you can use, too!

As always, we’ve filled this issue with timely and actionable information that will help you live a healthier life on a healthy planet. We hope that you’ll find much that is useful and that you’ll experience a meaningful, joyous and healthy holiday season.

Merry Christmas and blessings until next month,