The gift of Christmas cheer

We took her good cheer for granted as children. But I know now that she loved Christmas so much because it gave her an opportunity to articulate and cultivate her love for her family.

That's why the happy memories of my childhood Christmases hold such incredible power over me now — and why I know I must overcome my lack of Christmas spirit this year.

I know it’s my duty to be more cheerful toward others, so that my little bit of good cheer may spread and grow — because I was blessed with such an abundance of it for so long.

Cheerfulness, just like rudeness and incivility, is infectious, which is probably why Christmas cheer motivates us to give more to charities than we normally do.

During the Christmas season last year, despite a rocky economic year, Americans donated a record amount of money.

Donations are expected to be down slightly this year due to high inflation rates and other financial challenges, but the Christmas spirit continues to fuel our incredible generosity.

With my father’s recent death, it’s been a particularly rough year for my family. All of us are struggling to embrace the spirit of Christmas — including my mother.

I know from experience that the only way out of a slump in Christmas cheer is to simply give.

That includes doing something, anything, positive and upbeat to help others who are facing their own physical, financial and spiritual struggles.

There is no shortage of people who need some extra Christmas cheer this year.

Many of our troops are away from their families — or dealing with debilitating injuries — and we can support them.

Our neighbors may be out of work or struggling to make ends meet in our difficult economy and we can support them, too.

Elderly neighbors may be isolated and lonely inside — they will cherish some company and regular check-ins to make sure they are doing OK.

I pray that I do better at spreading the spirit of Christmas — and that all of us make good use of the wonderful and very real gift of Christmas cheer.

Purcell, creator of the infotainment site ThurbersTail.com, which features pet advice he’s learning from his beloved Labrador, Thurber, is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist. Email him at Tom@TomPurcell.com.