In December 2011, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio told a little story about a little girl who told a friend what she had order to her parents for Christmas: "She had order told her parents not to give her toys but 'Christmas spirit', and her parents were puzzled, without understanding or knowing what to do". And the Archbishop of Buenos Aires commented that this message had seemed sharp to him, and that it raised the question: What is the Christmas spirit?

To answer the question "what is the Christmas spirit," as Cardinal Bergoglio observed, is not easy in a time of consumerism (and, I might add, of so many problems, difficulties and persecutions, as Francis reflected this year in his Christmas blessing).

But let us return to his reflection of Buenos Aires: "Throughout the ages, art has tried to express it in a thousand ways and has managed to bring us quite close to the meaning of the Christmas spirit. How many Christmas stories offer us stories that bring us closer to it! The beautiful stories of Andersen, Tillich, Lenz, Böll, Dickens, Gorki, Hamsun, Hesse, Mann and so many others have managed to open horizons of meaning that take us along this path of understanding the mystery, but even so, they are not enough"...

Indeed, the true Spirit of Christmas (the Holy Spirit) is the one capable of changing us inside through love, which is what really changes people.

The Gospel of St. Luke tells the story of the first Christmas: the birth of Jesus, the Son of God made man - and to begin with, made a child - in Bethlehem. Surrounded by the affection of Mary and Joseph and praised by the angels, he was adored first by shepherds and then by the Magi who came from afar following a star.

And all this, as the fulfillment of a long history of God's promises to the Jewish people, as the center of the Christian faith and as a sign of peace and hope for all the people of the world; because Jesus came to make us participate in his own life and constitute the family of God in the world, the seed of universal fraternity. This is the "secret" of the Christmas Spirit, who comes for everyone - to the extent that we accept him - with Jesus:

Benedict XVI said so on Christmas Eve 2006:

"He became a child for us and thus dispelled all ambiguity. He became our neighbor, thus restoring the image of man that is often so unattractive to us. God made himself a gift for us. He gave himself. For our sake he took on time. He, the Eternal One who is above time, has taken on time, has taken our time upon himself. Christmas has become the feast of gifts to imitate God who gave himself. Let us allow this to make an impression on our hearts, our souls and our minds"(Homily, December 24, 2006).

 And he insisted on the fundamental attitude that we must cultivate, especially at Christmas: "Among the many gifts we buy and receive, let us not forget the real gift: to give each other something of ourselves. Give each other our time. Open our time to God. In this way the agitation subsides. Thus joy is born, the feast arises"(Ibid.).

And on the same day in 2012 - his last Christmas Eve as reigning Pope - he lamented the status of our culture, which makes us blind to the light of God who is born on earth and lives also in the most needy: "We are completely 'full' of ourselves, so that there is no longer any room left for God. And, for this reason, there is also no room for others, for children, for the poor, for strangers"(Homily, December 24, 2012).

That is why a good portrait of the fruits of the Spirit of Christmas in each one of us is Francis' Christmas greeting in this year 2014:

"Christmas is you, when you decide to be born again every day and let God into your soul. The Christmas pine is you, when you resist vigorously to the winds and difficulties of life. The Christmas ornaments are you, when your virtues are colors that adorn your life. The bell of Christmas is you, when you call, congregate and seek to unite. You are also the light of Christmas, when you illuminate with your life the path of others with kindness, patience, joy and generosity.

The Christmas angels are you, when you sing to the world a message of peace, justice and love. The Christmas star is you, when you lead someone to meeting with the Lord. You are also the Magi, when you give the best you have no matter to whom. The music of Christmas is you, when you conquer the harmony within you. The gift of Christmas is you, when you are truly a friend and brother to every human being. The card of Christmas is you, when kindness is written in your hands. The Christmas greeting is you, when you forgive and restore peace, even when you suffer. The Christmas dinner is you, when you fill the poor by your side with bread and hope. You are, yes, the night of Christmas, when humbly and consciously, you receive in the silence of the night the Savior of the world without noise or great celebrations; you are the smile of trust and tenderness, in the inner peace of a perennial Christmas that establishes the Kingdom within you. A very Merry Christmas to all those who resemble Christmas".