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What a great time of year! I'm a sap for the Christmas season and all of the goodness that accompanies it. I love the music and the warmth of friendships and family and the nostalgia of childhood Christmases. And most of all, I love celebrating the birth of Christ.

Oops. I said the "C" word. You can't do that today, can you?

How sad it is that our culture has degenerated to an extent to which an American and especially a political leader cannot cite his or her faith without being accused of promoting a theocracy. I think we should give kudos to men like Joe Lieberman for observing his faith during his national campaigns, and more recently, to Mike Huckabee for not shying away from expressing his faith. Can anyone honestly say our culture is better and healthier today as a result of this politically correct obsession of the secular progressives?

If not for the birth of Christ, December 25 would just be another day at the office. May I suggest that anyone who objects to observing the true meaning of Christmas just go ahead and go to work next year on that date and let the rest of us celebrate in peace?

Speaking of this special time of year that no one wants us to speak about ...

With the exception of the PC police, the holidays are one of the few times during the year that we take our focus off ourselves for maybe twenty minutes and give thought and focus to giving to others.

This time of year naturally motivates us to think about what we can do for others. For the other eleven months, most seem to focus on what others can do for us. This time of year we tend to be a little more generous, a little more gracious. We tend to think less about our own problems.

The spirit of giving that we experience reminds me of the old proverb, "I once complained of having no shoes, until I met a man that had no feet." We can always find room for bitterness and discontent in our circumstances, but there is always someone who is in greater need than you.

Giving benefits not just the recipient, but also the giver.

When we need something and we're totally focused on ourselves, we don't notice the needs of others. But if we would just open our eyes and hearts, we would see there are needs all around us each and every day.

Try giving a dollar to that guy with the "Will Work for Food" sign next time you're at a stop light. See how it makes you feel. Sure, he may have just scammed you, but you're blessed to have the dollar to spare. And what if that dollar just made the difference in his eating today or going to sleep hungry once again? Furthermore, if you're giving with the right heart, you'll get that dollar back many times over along life's journey.

If you don't want to give him cash, take a few minutes and buy lunch for him. That Big Mac will be the highlight of his day.

You'll meet someone in the next couple of days, weeks or months -- it may not be December or the holiday season, but you'll meet someone who will need a cup of coffee, a buck or just a hug. Give it to them.

Tis always the season to be jolly and to give.

I'd encourage you to remember to give in the same spirit over the next eleven months that you may have given in the last few weeks.

When Ebenezer Scrooge stopped keeping his wealth to himself, he found real peace and joy. Before that, he knew not the ability to give. I recently heard someone say the greatest poverty is the inability to give. Because when you give, you also receive. This is the easiest cycle of poverty to break. And it's a war on poverty that only you can win.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. I hope you have a happy, healthy, prosperous and giving 2008.

J.C. Watts is chairman of J.C. Watts Companies, a business consulting group. He is former chairman of the Republican Conference of the U.S. House, where he served as an Oklahoma representative from 1995 to 2002. His e-mail address is JCWatts01@jcwatts.com