Christmas time is officially here, and with it come the mad rush to have the perfect holiday celebration and to spend loads and loads of money. It’s hard to resist the temptation to overspend at Christmas time because of the constant drumbeat of commercial advertisements.

Men are told that “every kiss begins with Kay,” and women are told that their husbands are not “real men” unless they’ve made their way to Jared Jewelers and spent a boatload of cash. Indeed, the retailers say that the average American household will spend more than $800 on gifts during the 2007 shopping season – many of which they cannot afford. The average American household already has over $9,000 in credit card debt, and many are still paying for gifts bought on credit last year.

In order to resist the temptation to overspend this Christmas, we need to discover the spiritual discipline of simplicity. Simplicity is the practice of living life free from the pretensions of material excess. For Christians, simplicity is based upon Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, where he said that we shouldn’t worry about our clothes and other material possessions; instead we should “seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

We can practice the discipline of simplicity by ensuring during this holiday season that we are first of all making time for spiritual pursuits, including the worship of God, helping the needy and sharing God’s love with our family, friends and neighbors. Often we get so distracted with the busyness of holiday preparations that we are too tired or weary to attend church or to make time to serve God. However, it doesn’t take a lot of money to go to a Christmas Eve or Advent service or to visit an elderly neighbor’s home or someone in the hospital. Your simple act of visiting and letting others know that you care about them is what this season is really about.

We can also practice simplicity by developing the habit of giving our stuff away. It is far more blessed to give than to receive, and true joy comes from giving things away. Instead of buying new gifts this Christmas, realize there are many things that we already have that someone else may value. The reality is that most of us have masses of things that we don’t need, and it’s not too late to call the Salvation Army or AMVETS to schedule a pickup in time for a 2007 tax deduction.

Simplicity also comes when we’re not duped with the promises of modern gadgetry. Advertisements tell us all about the latest devices and about how they will make our lives simpler. One such device is the iPhone. If you have this phone, then you’ll have your music, phone and personal digital assistant all-in-one. The problem with this device, however, especially for persons like me in the older generation, is how do you operate it? I would probably spend more time trying to figure out how to use this gadget than I would spend using it! The truth is that timesaving devices rarely save time. Furthermore, many children are into video and computer games, but we need to understand that some of the best toys are simple ones like rag dolls that evoke the use of a child’s imagination.

Simplicity is also found when we reject things that trigger addictions in us. An addiction is anything that causes us to lose control, and this Christmas we should avoid things that further our addictions. For example, I am tempted by Starbucks peppermint lattes. They are tasty, but at $4 a pop, that’s a lot of money that can go a long way to help someone else. Others are addicted to shopping, especially coupon sales and “buy now-pay later” offers. However, we must keep in mind that these advertisements are only schemes that lead us further and further into debt, and debt makes our lives more complicated.

We can also practice simplicity by rejecting things that causes oppression in others. We must take a deep look at our purchases and ask what impact these purchases have on others in the world. Do we sip our coffee or buy our diamonds at the expense of the impoverished? If so, we should refuse to further the evils of this world by supporting them with our money.

This Christmas let us practice the discipline of simplicity. If we do, then we’ll not only have a merry Christmas, but a sensible one too. Merry Christmas!