Unemployment among elves is at an all time high this Christmas.In the book God’s Yardstick, Lester DeKoster and Gerard Berghoef write of the blessings of the order of work instituted by God. “We take for granted all the possibilities which work alone provides,” they write, “And we e aware of how work sustains the order which makes life possible when that order is rent by lightning flashes of riot or war, and the necessities which work normally provides e difficult e by.”

In the midst of the prolonged economic downturn in America, we’ve seen what happens when work is “difficult e by” for many people. It is good to remember this Christmas that one of the greatest gifts that any of us can receive from another person is the opportunity to work and serve others and pensated for that work.

This is why it is so important to recognize the moral imperative operating behind the innovation, entrepreneurship, and the creation of jobs. You can see this imperative in the plaintive cry of many children this Christmas, “Santa, can you get my mom a job?”

Maybe Santa can’t deliver a job this Christmas season, but let’s hope there are some “Santa” entrepreneurs and businesses out there willing to take risks and deliver products and services that will open up employment opportunities for the jobless among us.

For more on the creation of such opportunities to get paid to serve others, check out the Job Creators Alliance, whose mission is to “bring together job creators from large and panies to educate Americans on the vital role of free enterprise and entrepreneurship in creating jobs, spurring innovation and ensuring America’s economic success.”