The True Spirit of Christmas: The Gift of Jesus

I love to give gifts.

Love. LOve. LOVe. LOVE to give gifts.

It started as a little girl when I would go shopping at the Dollar Store for my family for Christmas.

Then, when I got my first job, I began shopping year-round, seeking the best deals and the perfect gifts for everyone on my list.

15 years later, I still shop year-round. I usually finish shopping in early November and want to start wrapping right away.

I am THAT excited to give the gifts I have purchased.

When December finally comes, I rush to the post office to ship packages, go out to dinner with friends and give giddily.

I love that Christmas is an opportunity to bless others with a little something that they need – or that they didn’t know they needed.

To many, Christmas is simply a time to spend a lot of money and buy stuff that will soon be forgotten.

But to me, this gift giving is more.

Giving gifts is a manifestation of my love for a person.

And each time I give, I can’t help but reflect on the reason why we give gifts… because Jesus was the first gift.

I know. It sounds cliche doesn’t it?

To lump the consumerism of Christmas with the GIFT of JESUS.

But, yesterday, as we celebrated Christmas with our three-year-old (Santa came a bit early), we prayed a prayer of thanksgiving before opening gifts. We thanked God for the gift of Jesus and the reason why we get gifts in the first place.

Our prayer ended and Elias proclaimed, “Happy Birthday Jesus!” as he tore into his snowman-adorned wrapped package.

Happy Birthday Jesus, indeed.

As we contemplate gifts this Christmas season, please consider giving extravagantly to someone in need. World Vision has an amazing gift catalog, where you can purchase practical gifts of goats and chickens and ducks that will provide families with milk, cheese, and eggs. You can also make donations to give someone access to clean water or give a woman a loan to start her own small business. There are gifts for every budget and every passion that you may have. No matter what you choose, you will be helping someone make their life better, and that is a gift of love as well.