I love Christmas
LOVE it
Most of my fondest memories as a child involve Christmas. Decorating the house, picking out the family tree, rediscovering my own little box of ornaments every year, so carefully wrapped away the year before, untangling the ball of lights for dad as he wound them around the tree.
And gifts.
We did gifts
Lots of gifts
Not extravegant gifts.
Our stockings were filled with nuts, fruit, jars of baby food, gum, floss, new underwear and socks, candy, a fun toothbrush, a new scrunchie, etc. But they were stuffed.
Our gifts were thoughtful.
Often hand-made and inexpensive.
But we were thrilled.
Over the moon elated, just at the sheer display that my sweet parents Santa had taken the time to set up. It made me feel so special as a kid – knowing that someone in my family had thought of me, spent their own money or time, and carefully wrapped something up so beatifully just for me.
Gifts definitely played a big role in Christmas, and even though they were a mainstay, they weren’t the center. But I’m also not going to pretend that we wouldn’t have not been extremely sad if there were no gifts one year.
We opened them slowly, taking the time to look each one over with wonder, thanking the giver with a hug. It was such a sweet, special time. Something that I still look forward to each year.
So I am not sure why it is such a trend in some Christian circles to poo-poo the idea of gift-giving.
It’s a beautiful act of selflessness, thoughfulness, and generosity.
It is (at least to me) a metaphor for the day:
Christ came, for us. He was given to us, as a sacrificial gift from his Father.
Why would we want to act as though there is something shameful about this remembrance?
As if feasting together in celebration is gluttony. Or as if plain and simple fun, for the sole purpose of having fun, has no redeeming quality.
Of course, gift-giving can get out of hand. No matter how much money my husband and I ever make, our children will never wake on Christmas morning to a brand-new luxury vehicle.
Now, there are certainly those who genuinely do not like receiving gifts. My dad is one. But we just can’t bring ourselves to not give him something. So he allows only two things: pictures of his children or grand-children, and socks. But only if the ones we gave him the previous year have holes. However, he still finds great joy in seeing us open the gifts from him and my mom.
There seems to be a feeling among some that somehow giving gifts takes away from the true meaning of christmas. And it can, if you let it. But it certainly doesn’t have to.
Is it fear of entitlement? Because that isn’t born in a single day.
Is it fear of waste? Then buy only gifts that are used, from thrift stores or garage sales, handmade, or items that you know the other person truly needs.
Is it a feeling of superiority? As though, if we can enjoy Christmas without gifts, we must have reached a level of holiness that is far greater than those who do give them?
I don’t know what it is. But honestly, it makes me sad.
Because Christianity is supposed to radiate joy, generosity, and freedom. Not a somber, puritan-like self-depravity.
And to me, a Christmas morning complete with a delicious meal, stuffed stockings, and gifts bursting from beneath a merry tree is a beautiful representation of this joy, generosity, and freedom.
So we will continue to do gifts, within our financial ability. We will not go into debt for Christmas, and we will not focus on it more than any other aspect of the day.
We will model good things for our children through our gift-giving. We will teach them about the True Gift, the One that was given to us, so sacrificially, so that we might be able to experience true joy, to be generous, and to be free.
live well. be well.
