It’s officially December!

Nearly everywhere you go Christmas music is playing. One of the songs we hear is written by Jim Reeves and begins with the line, “C is for the Christ Child”. It goes on from there to spell out the word Christmas with each letter standing for some part of the Christmas story. Most of you know it.  

Photo by Pam Ecrement

There are many “C” words associated with Christmas also. Words like carols, cards, cookies, candy canes, cranberries, chestnuts, chimney, crèche, and candles quickly come to mind. Another word that is featured prominently is children.

Perhaps we think of children since we celebrate the birth of a baby, a child no one would recognize as a king. Perhaps we think of them as well since so much advertising relates to gifts they might want to receive.   Whatever the original reason might be, one of the gifts children give us at this season is often the gift of wonder.

Etched in my memory is the first Christmas each of my children and grandchildren experienced. They were fascinated with the lights, a tree appearing in the living room, and so much more. They didn’t need to be concerned about decorating or making all the trappings we associate with the day. They could simply be delighted in the new experiences and the wonder of it all.  

As we grow up there are still special things we associate with the Christmas season. We grow in a deeper understanding of who we are celebrating, but subtly we can lose the wonder of that first Christmas. The tasks of Christmas erode the wonder we first knew.

What is wonder?

The dictionary describes it as “a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable”.   Maybe the trappings of Christmas have become too familiar. We may enjoy the candles, the twinkling lights, and all the trimmings, but we have too often lost our awe of them.   We associate the things connected with Christmas with what we must do to make them happen. We may complain about putting up lights and trees, shopping for gifts and wrapping them, baking and making all the treats we want to have. It can sound like Christmas is a chore.  

When we were children, we received all of Christmas as a gift. It cost us nothing.  

So often Jesus tells us in scripture that we need to become like children to truly understand His Kingdom. There was a cost for Him and the Father in Christmas. Jesus left the wonders of heaven with a clear eye to the cross He would face.

What a mind-blowing thing!

What an amazing gift! 

Could He hope we would become like children so that we would also see, behold, and wonder at such a love and sacrifice?  

Our deeper understanding of Christmas ought to remind us of words like caring, compassion, consideration, Christlikeness, courage, commitment, and more. It should also bring us back to the truth.

God didn’t have to send Jesus to give us a 3-D living example of His love and what He wanted us to know about Him. He didn’t need to give us a chance to be reconciled to Him. God didn’t need to choose to send Jesus as a child born in a humble stable.

How confounding that was! How wondrous and unexpected that was!

No matter how old you are or how many Christmases you have celebrated, I think He wants you to know the wonder of His gift, His love all over again this year.

As the days of this month swiftly move ahead and the lists of things to do grow longer, don’t forget the wonder of Christmas, the wonder of the Christ Child, the wonder of God’s amazing love gift.

The glory of Christmas is a wonder! It has always been amazing, unexpected, beautiful, unfamiliar, and inexplicable!

Photo by Pam Ecrement of the wonder on the face of our first grandchild

Photo by Fii pefază from Pexels

I remember it as if it were yesterday even though it was probably almost 40 years ago.

I received a phone call from our church administrator. He asked me if I could be available to do something for him. He went on to share there was a single mother with two small children (a boy and a girl) who were likely not going to have any Christmas gifts that year. He said I came to mind for what he had in mind and wondered if I would go shopping for the children and wrap the gifts as well. He told me I could pick up $100 cash at the office and noted the ages of the children as well.

We were not wealthy, but there had always been presents under the tree.

My immediate response was “yes!” Even though there was a great deal of other shopping to be done, this idea excited me and I hoped the Lord would show me what to buy for each child even though I knew nothing about the children except their ages.

So many years ago others had sought for the kind of gift to give the Christ-child. It was not the same and yet I felt a little closer to that story as I considered the shopping trip ahead.

I invited our daughter to go along with me on the adventure and shared with her what we would be doing. I knew she would be a great help and likely have some incredible ideas. As we drove to the store, we both agreed that we wanted to find as many things as we could since these might be the only part of Christmas these children would have. I reminded our daughter we would look for good sales, but also things we would like if we were the one receiving these things.

Up and down the aisles we went pausing and thinking about an array of options including fun and practical items. The Lord must have smiled on us that afternoon because it seemed our shopping cart was nearly full even though we did not have a great deal to spend.

Perhaps that was one of the lessons to learn from this unexpected opportunity. Limited cash and not knowing the persons caused us to seek the Lord’s direction, put more thought into the process, and consider what gifts would most bless. So often shopping for a gift becomes just another task on the list and we hope to get it done as soon as we can. This was different and I think it impacted my gift shopping to the present as a result.

As we were reaching the end of our budget, our daughter had another idea that brought tears to my eyes when she suggested it. She said, “I think we need to get something for their mom too, even if it is something small.” The church administrator had not suggested that, but I couldn’t have agreed more. It would surprise and delight the children as well as the mom. There was no question this mother rarely had anyone do something special for her.

Off we went in search of something for the mother and soon we found a soft, warm, cozy robe that had been marked down to an amount that was exactly what we had left in the budget.

As we stepped outside into the snowy afternoon with our shopping bags filled, warmth filled our hearts for this special outing. As we later wrapped the gifts, we wondered what they would think when they opened them. We knew we would never know, but that was part of what made it special as well.

Sometimes it can be easier to write a check or drop money in a red kettle if we think of blessing someone in need, but nothing can compare to the assignment we received and how honored we felt to be asked.

It reminded me as well of how my mother shared that when she was a very little girl growing up near the end of WW I, the most special gift she and her two sisters received one year was a fresh orange.

As we consider our shopping and the gifts we want to buy, how can we capture the essence of the Lord as the Giver of the very BEST Gift?

Can we be more like Him this year…no matter what our budget?