AMERICA/CHILE - “10 Commandments” for living Christmas in its true meaning and in the family: “Christmas is not worrying about the gift, but thinking of others.”

Santiago de Chile (Agenzia Fides) – Representatives from the Padre Hurtado Foundation and the Center for the Family at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile have launched the "Ten Commandments of Christmas" for living Christmas in its true meaning and in the context of one's own family. Dozens of volunteers from the Padre Hurtado Foundation took to the streets to pass out the Ten Commandments, which invite people to carry out gestures that help live Christmas in the Christian sense and not waste.
Some of the acts mentioned were: to prepare the crib with their children and tell them the story of Jesus, inviting them to follow His example in the future; build a toy with old things and play with their children, as they should see a gift as a token affection; make up a play with their children about what happened in Bethlehem; write a letter to reconcile with someone who has been forgotten; show happiness and joy on the day of the Birth of Jesus; go with the whole family to Midnight Mass; invite someone who is alone to dinner on Christmas Eve; visit the nativity scenes that show where Jesus was born; celebrate frugally, without wasting. "Nobody is so poor that they cannot give a smile."
The representative of the Foundation Padre Hurtado, Benito Baranda, said that "through this initiative, the aim is to create awareness among people that Christmas is not worrying about the gift, but the important thing is to think of others, and encourage them to make simple gestures that really fill the soul." Professor Carolina Salinas, from the Center for the Family, stressed: "We realized that with the passing of time, the family lost its role as the foundation of society. On this date that is so important, we want people to realize that the family is more important than gifts." (CE) (Agenzia Fides 17/12/2009)