The Gift
Just a few weeks ago I had no idea what to get anyone for Christmas. Just two short days before Christmas I was still doing Christmas shopping. It was a little stressful. What if I don’t spend enough on someone? What if they don’t like this gift? Should I get something off of a list or should I choose something that is not on a list? All of these questions flooded my mind as I sat down at my computer to do my Christmas shopping. While figuring out what to get people isn’t much fun for me, I do enjoy giving people things that they will use and enjoy. I love my family’s Christmas tradition of gathering to feast and exchange gifts. It’s our tradition, and it’s one of my favorites. Gifts are fun. Just a few days ago one of my friends commented that “Christmas gifts are great because every time you use them you get to think about the person who gave it to you” (Alex Hogestt). This is so true. Gifts are a way to tell a person that you are thinking about them and that you wanted to do something for them.
At the heart of Christmas, it is a time of giving and receiving. Many of my key Christmas memories are about specific gifts that I received. There was the year that I got a set of Rock ’em, Sock’ em Robots which was a gift that I dreamed of opening. I longed to play with the little plastic robots, and I craved punching my opponent just right so that his head would pop off. Then there was the year that I finally got my very first Red Rider BB gun. I waited years to meet the age requirement printed on the box so that I could master the art of bb target shooting just like Ralphie from “The Christmas Story.” Another year I opened a box of endless costume possibilities. My parents had gone to the thrift store and loaded up on anything that they thought I could use in my costume collection. For years those costumes became the key to unlocking my favorite characters in the movies that I watched. Endless hours of fun came from that one gift. I have also received some family heirlooms as well. I have my grandfather’s pocket knife and my great-grandfather’s tie tack (that looks like an ax) and cufflinks. Every time I use them, I know that I am holding a piece of family history. As I think back over my 23 previous Christmases, many of my key memories come from the gifts that I have received and who they came from paired with the gift of time spent together enjoying the traditions that we have created.
While I have many fond memories of receiving amazing gifts, Christmas is not really about the presents that sit under the tree. It’s about the ultimate gift that was ever given. Over 2,000 years ago, the Creator of the universe gave himself to us in the form of a baby so that he could live a human life and die for the forgiveness of our sins so that we can have life with him forever. Christmas is a time set aside to remember that gift. In many ways the traditions that we practice reflect that very first Christmas. Many travel home to be with family for a celebration. Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem which was the city of Joseph’s family (Luke 2:1-5). As a child I recall the anticipation associated with Christmas. Each year I could hardly wait to spend time with my family, to eat a special dinner, and to have our annual gift exchange. Every year, I knew exactly what to expect, but there was always also an element of mystery that came from the wrapped gifts that taunted me from under the tree because I had to wait to open them. I can’t even imagine what it would have been like to anticipate the birth of Christ. Throughout the Old Testament, Christ’s birth is prophesied. The Hebrew people waited in anticipation for those prophesies to happen. If I live in anticipation of opening gifts, I can’t fathom what awaiting the promise of the Messiah was like. Lastly, we have the tradition of giving and receiving gifts. Each year of my life, Christmas has been celebrated with the giving and receiving of presents. This tradition mirrors the first Christmas the most. Christ coming to earth so that we might live in communion with God Almighty is truly the ultimate gift. This year, my hope is not only that Christmas traditions are enjoyed to their fullest, but that they also cause us to remember and celebrate the greatest gift ever: Jesus.
Merry Christmas!
