Love Gifts

 

My son's family has created the tradition of letting the children open gifts from their siblings on Christmas Eve.  As I watched them this morning, I was so impressed at the thought that went into each gift.  The baby got a toy that so fits his favorite thing to do that he's been playing far beyond a one-year-old's usual attention span.  The eldest got a huge board from his younger sibs with a saying that fits him so well, we all laughed when he opened it.  It will look great in his college apt.  The only daughter got bling - and she loves it.  The middlest boy is a budding engineer and he got Legos and more Legos and is in heaven.  He also got two little electronic bugs that scoot and scurry all over.  Good thing his dad is an exterminator!  The parents got pencil cups that their daughter made out of recycled cans and crayons.  Believe it or not, they are beautiful.  A lot of love went  into the planning and the giving.

 

It reminded me of a tradition we had when my children were younger.  On Christmas Eve, we had our big turkey dinner and after dinner we would sit by the fire and exchange love gifts.  The gifts had to be thoughtful and created out of love for the recipient.  The year I remember best was the year Beed and Sess learned to sing Beautiful Savior and performed it for my dad, who loves the song.  He sat there with tears dripping off the end of his nose.  I think it was one of the best gifts he ever received.

 

After the gifts, we would read the Christmas story from Luke and Matthew.  One year, when the children were little, they dressed up in bathrobes and towels and acted out the parts.  Then my mom, who was a gifted pianist, played carol after carol as we gathered around the baby grand to sing the songs of the Savior's birth.

 

Love gifts are what Christmas is all about.  After all, it was on Christmas that all humanity received the greatest love gift in eternity and beyond.  For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3: 16)

 

Give love this Christmas.  It's value is above gold.

 

Text © Gebara Education, 2012

 

Picture of Santa and the Chirst Child from Facebook