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"Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, please put a penny in the old man's hat ... "

Remember that nursery rhyme from your childhoold? I sure do.

Christmas is a time for giving. To the poor, as well as to our own families.

Sometimes we lose sight of that.

The commercialization of Christmas over the past twenty years or so has turned Christmas into a present-giving frenzy, particularly if you've got kids. And if you don't, the Christmas period is likely to consist of lots of parties around the Christmas tree, often with Kris Kringle type Christmas gift giving, and often far too much alcohol.

Christmas stockings and Christmas decorations are too often overtaken by overindulgence in Christmas food, and the ubiquitous Christmas eggnog and other alcohol - lots of it.

Is this a good thing? Well, I guess it depends to some extent on your perspective of what Christmas traditions are all about. Those of us who latch on to any excuse for a booze-up, the Christmas party period must be wonderful. Hang up a few Christmas ornaments in the workplace or the social club or wherever, and have a boozy Christmas party - it may be your best chance to start an office romance.

But I think many of us have become somewhat jaded by the way Christmas is used as an excuse for Christmas parties starting in November and running right through December to Christmas Eve. Get togethers with your workmates is not a bad thing, of course - it's nice to socialize once in a while instead of being focussed on work. But it's the overindulgence which many of us find somewhat over the top.

Many of our kids don't have any idea of the true meaning of Christmas. To many, Christmas trees and Christmas ornaments mean Santa Claus and Christmas gifts - lots and lots of them. Even those kids who can tell you what Christmas is all about are apt to forget the true meaning of Christmas when deluged with Christmas gifts.

Whatever happened to the true spirit of Christmas, when people would cook two traditional Christmas dinners - one for their own family, and one which they would take out and give to a less fortunate family who maybe lived just down the street?

Whatever happened to the true spirit of Christmas, when kids would carefully select and wrap up their loved but still in good condition Christmas gifts from last year, and take them to the local children's hospital, and actually hand the Christmas gift to a sick child just to see the smile on their faces?

These days people are more likely to give money to various charities (which is not a bad thing) than do acts of service, or actually give hand picked gifts of food or toys. But money is so much more impersonal.

So how about trying to make a difference this Christmas? Get out and give something personal - to someone you can look in the eye when you're giving the Christmas food or Christmas gift - and say from the heart - "Merry Christmas".