Have you ever wondered where the tradition of giving gifts at Christmas originated? Maybe you’re in that frantic state today of having to buy all your Christmas presents on this mad Saturday before Christmas and you wish that no one had ever started the tradition of exchanging gifts. It can be so very difficult finding the right gift for the right person at the right price. Many of us feel overwhelmed before we even start. We want to be whimsical and original, but in our consumer-driven society, it can all just feel too much.
We give gifts ultimately because Christmas is about the biggest gift of all: ‘thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!’ (2 Cor 9:15) God gave Jesus to us: the perfect gift. Gratitude for gifts is not difficult if we receive something we really want or need, and Jesus is the perfect gift to us.
If you don’t find that perfect gift for Great Aunt Lizzie today, don’t fret too much. We often place unreasonable expectations on our shoulders and are sucked into the consumer lie that Christmas is all about presents. It is in some ways: it’s all about the present God gave us in His Son. All the other gifts are nowhere near as important as that.
