25 Days of Christmas: To Gift or Not To Gift

We can all agree that gift giving during Christmas has gotten WAY out of hand.  The retail industry wants us to make it our sole focus during the holiday season.  My friend Kim said it best when she said that “gifts are just one day in the month of December they aren’t the entire focus.”  Gifts shouldn't be why we celebrate Christmas, instead they should  remind us of The Giver, Jesus.  Of course they are an inadequate picture of the gift of salvation we receive through Jesus Christ, but it can be a lesson to our kiddos and to the adults as well! 

For the second year we will do a set of gifts for each boy: something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read.  We also hang stockings with small goodies.  I love that it limits me so that I don’t get out of control and that the boys will grow up knowing what to expect each year. The weekend after Thanksgiving Hal and I had the chance to do some shopping and I found myself wanting to buy more and more and more, but knowing that we had already set some boundaries was a big help.

Some families also practice the giving of three gifts each year just as baby Jesus received gold, frankincense, and myrrh from the wise men.

Whatever your approach, it is just important to focus on the best gift anyone could ever receive: the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ by faith alone through grace alone.