The Spirit of the Season: Three Gifts for the Soul
There is something sacred in the air this time of year.
You can feel it in the music that fills every store, in the glow of light spilling through cold windows, and in the warmth that stirs your heart when you see a child’s eyes shine with wonder.
It is the Spirit of the Season.
We try to name it, to explain it, to capture it in traditions or words. Yet the truth is, the spirit of Christmas is not about nostalgia or sentiment. It is about Presence. God’s presence among us, and our presence with one another. It is about remembering that love entered a broken world to bring light where there was none.
The Origin of Christmas
Long before garland, gifts, and gatherings, there was a star.
It shone over a stable in Bethlehem, cutting through the night sky like a divine announcement. There, a young mother gave birth to a child who would change the course of human history.
The shepherds came first, rough and ordinary men who lived close to the land. They came because angels told them that a Savior had been born. And then came the Magi, the Wise Men from the East. They followed that star for months, perhaps years, searching for the One foretold by ancient prophets.
When they found Him, they knelt and offered three gifts: gold, the tribute due a king; frankincense, a symbol of worship; and myrrh, a foreshadowing of sacrifice.
Those gifts were not random or decorative. They carried meaning that spoke across eternity. They told the truth of who this child was. The King. The God. The Redeemer.
That is the true story of Christmas. God giving Himself to the world not in power, but in humility. Not through conquest, but through compassion.
The Spirit That Still Moves Among Us
Every December, even in the busiest cities and darkest seasons of life, that Spirit still lingers. It calls us to slow down. It invites us to listen again.
When you walk into a church and hear the echo of a carol, when you see a neighbor leave a gift at your doorstep, or when you hold someone you love just a little tighter, you can sense it. Something ancient and divine still moves through this season.
And if you have faced loss this year or walked through sorrow, Christmas can feel complicated. Yet the message of that first night was meant for those who feel lost and weary. Light still breaks through darkness. Hope still comes quietly to the humble heart.
The Spirit of Christmas is not a fairytale for the fortunate. It is the promise that even in the ruins of pain, something holy can be born again.
The Three Gifts You Can Give and Receive
Like the Wise Men who brought their treasures to the manger, you too can give and receive three profound gifts this Christmas. These are not gifts that cost money. They are gifts of the heart, meant to bring healing, purpose, and joy.
1. The Gift to Yourself: Reflection and Renewal
The first gift is inward. It is the courage to stop, look within, and remember who you are.
Many people move through December like a blur, chasing lists and managing schedules while trying to manufacture joy. But peace comes only when we pause long enough to meet ourselves again.
This is the gift of reflection. Look back on this year and see not only what was lost, but what was gained. Think of what you have learned. Recall what you endured and how you have grown.
Tony Robbins teaches what he calls the Dickens Process, inspired by A Christmas Carol. It is a powerful exercise in self-awareness. It asks you to visit the ghosts of your own past, present, and future so you can see what beliefs or behaviors have been stealing your joy and what choices can open a better tomorrow.
Forgive yourself. Release resentment. Choose gratitude. Let your reflection renew your heart.
2. The Gift to Others: Presence and Generosity
The second gift is outward. It is the gift of presence.
In a world that celebrates distraction, attention has become the most valuable form of generosity. The people around you do not need more things. They need more of you.
Your smile. Your time. Your kindness.
When you sit with a friend who is hurting, when you listen without judgment, when you show up for family even when it is inconvenient, you are living the essence of Christmas.
The Wise Men did not send a courier with their treasures. They journeyed across deserts to kneel in person before a child. Their gift was not only in what they carried but in their willingness to come.
Be that kind of giver this season. Be someone’s light. Be someone’s peace.
3. The Gift to the Future: Vision and Hope
The third gift looks forward.
It is the gift of vision.
Christmas reminds us that the smallest beginnings can change the course of history. What started in a manger ended with a movement that reshaped civilization.
So this season, set your eyes on what could be. Reconnect with your purpose. Define what you want to build in the year to come, not only for yourself but for the generations that follow.
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in Dickens’ story warned Scrooge of a lonely death if he refused to change. Yet it also offered him a chance to rewrite his ending. You can do the same.
Give yourself to hope. Make choices now that your future self will thank you for. Plant seeds of vision and trust that in due time they will grow into legacy.
Walking Through the Dickens Process
If you want to feel the Spirit of Christmas in your bones this year, take a few quiet moments to walk through this simple reflection. It has changed the lives of thousands who have learned to anchor their hearts to what is highest and best.
Step 1: Visit Your Past.
Close your eyes and think about this year. See the moments that still sting. Ask yourself what you have been holding on to that no longer serves you. What choices, regrets, or fears would you let go of if you truly believed you were forgiven?
Step 2: Look at Your Present.
Notice who you are right now. What thoughts, habits, or patterns are shaping your days? Are they leading you toward peace or pulling you toward bitterness? Take a deep breath and choose to release what is false. Speak truth into your own soul.
Step 3: Envision Your Future.
Imagine your life one year from now if you continued to live exactly as you are. Feel it. Then imagine your life if you realigned yourself toward what Jordan Peterson calls the “proper aim.” Aim at the highest good. Aim at God. That is where freedom, love, and meaning flow from.
Write down one commitment you will make to live in that direction. Let it be small, clear, and sacred. Then say a simple prayer of gratitude for the chance to begin again.
When you do this, you anchor yourself in the Spirit of the Season. You return your heart to truth. You choose to aim high, to live awake, and to walk with God as your guide.
A Blessing for the Season
My prayer for you this Christmas is that peace will find you wherever you are.
That laughter will return to your home.
That love will mend what was once broken.
May you feel the quiet joy that comes from knowing you are not alone and that your life still has purpose.
As this year draws to a close, give yourself the gift of growth. The best of the best in every field have coaches. Champions, leaders, and those who live fully alive do not walk alone.
If you are ready to rise into the next season of your life, reach out. Talk with one of my certified coaches or join our next event. You will be surrounded by people who believe in your potential and who will help you aim higher, lead stronger, and live life fully alive.
Because the greatest gift you can give yourself this Christmas is the decision to grow.
The Deeper Message
The Spirit of Christmas has never been about perfection. It is about incarnation. It is love made visible. It is heaven touching earth.
You do not have to have everything together to experience it. You only have to open your heart.
This season, receive the Spirit of the Season in three ways.
Reflect deeply and renew your soul.
Give yourself generously to others.
Look ahead with hope and vision for what can be.
When you give those three gifts to yourself, to others, and to the future, you step into the very meaning of Christmas itself.
Light came into the world once. It still does.
And maybe this year, it will shine through you.