The gift

These past few weeks, my kids have looked forward to going to school. Actually, since the onset of December. That’s because they’ve been receiving Christmas gifts from their classmates almost every day. 

 

At first, I didn’t see why I should also give gifts to their classmates. I didn’t want them to associate Christmas with gifts. That’s adding to the materialism of the season. Plus I saw it as an additional expense that I could do without. 

 

But what finally made me give in was seeing the joy in the faces of my children and their classmates as they opened their gifts, no matter how small it was. That, and the fact that I didn’t want my children to feel left out and be the only ones in their class who didn’t give any gift. It’ll just have to be up to us parents to explain to our children that Christmas is more about sharing and giving, than it is about receiving.

 

I guess it’s inevitable that in this day and age, people would come to associate Christmas with material things. Kids see this as gift-giviing and gift-receiving season, as the time to be nice so Santa would not forget them when he comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve. Adults see Christmas as the most expensive time of the year, having to complete our Christmas shopping list as soon as possible. We get so caught up in the parties, the reunions,  the gifts, the food, and the festivities that we forget about the most important thing about Christmas—Jesus Christ,  the reason we’re celebrating in the first place.

 

Oh, I know that Jesus wasn’t really born on Christmas Day. If He really was born on Dec. 25, in the middle of winter, then the shepherds would’ve frozen to death in the fields even before the angels were able to tell them the good news about Jesus’ birth. And I don’t think Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus and all the animals would survive the winter in just a flimsy stable. I read somewhere that Jesus was most likely born sometime in September, when it would be possible for shepherds to be out in the fields with their flocks.  

 

But when He was actually born isn’t really the issue. The fact remains that Jesus was born. What’s important is that He gave up the comforts of heaven, that He came down to earth as a baby, lived a life as an ordinary carpenter, and eventually gave up His life to die on the cross and save us from our sins. What’s important is the Ultimate Gift of Salvation that He’s giving us, and whether we will receive His gift or not. That’s the real meaning of Christmas, Jesus’ gift of salvation and eternal life. And that’s what we should never forget.  

 

Have a blessed Christmas, everyone! And a joyous new year!