Three Ways To Enjoy Holiday Giving

They worshipped Jesus and then presented Him with gifts.

The old cliché “it is more blessed to give than to receive” is certainly appropriate for this time of year. For Christians, Jesus coming to earth was the best gift we could possibly celebrate each Christmas season. Jesus gave humanity the best gift by coming down to earth in human flesh.

Let us consider a great human example, too. The following may give us insight on how to approach holiday gift giving this year.

This great Biblical example is found in Matthew, Chapter 2. The Wise Men had been actively following the Star so they could see and worship the King of the Jews. The climax was when the Wise Men found Jesus. Specifically, they worshipped Jesus and then presented Him with gifts.

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11).

In this season of Christmas gift giving, may we not forget a few important things:

1. Our greatest gift to give should be a desire to worship Jesus.

Thankfully, this does not mean that Christmas parties are a no-go! We can still have our cookie exchanges and white elephant parties with gift-giving fun. Our children can still have cookie decorating contests. We must consciously remember the reason for the season, though.

Our greatest gift to give is our worship of the One who gave us all. The gift of worship should be front and center each holiday season.

One way to keep Jesus at the front and center is to read through different parts of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s birth events. Perhaps at the start of December, and with our children, we can start reading through these Bible events. Some Bible apps will also offer Christmas-specific Bible reading plans.

Another way to give our worship is to sing and/or talk through some of the Christ-centered Christmas songs and hymns with our children.

One other idea is to read Christmas picture books with a Biblical worldview. For example, there are many interesting stories about the history of the candy cane. One such book is The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg. This book offers a neat story line about the candy, but most importantly, it emphasizes the Cross.

Another book to consider is The Pine Tree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs. This book shares a beautiful story about a large sacrifice made to a needy family. The crux of the book is the sacrifice that Jesus made on the Cross. Teaching our children to give Jesus the gift of worship is paramount.

2. Gift giving can be a proactive and enjoyable family feat!

Just like the Wise Men proactively went together in their gift-giving endeavor, we can have fun teaming up with our children to come up with a needed and fun gift-giving project.

We, thankfully, do not have to only give gold or expensive perfume. Families can work together to give the gift of time and service, though. (After all, there is always a need for bell ringers!) Some churches serve a big Christmas meal to those in need. Other churches take part in Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child.

Maybe there is a community toy drive for your family to join. The possibilities are endless this time of year. Wherever our family’s heart strings are tugged, we, as a family, can joyfully team up and serve others together.

When our families place the importance of the gift-giving season on the worship of Jesus, then no minimum or maximum number of gifts will be the downfall of our children.

3. Do your family’s gift-giving “thing” and do not feel bad about it!

Some families may give their children a small or precise number of gifts each year. Other families may splurge and give many gifts. There is no right or wrong way. Do your family’s “thing,” and do not feel the need to blush about it.

When our families place the importance of the gift-giving season on the worship of Jesus, then no minimum or maximum number of gifts will be the downfall of our children.

We can have our Christmas cake and eat it, too! Praise God for the freedom in Christ to have our family Christmas activities and gift-giving fun without any need for guilt.

Worship, teamwork, and gift-giving enjoyment are all possible this time of year! Christ can be honored by our worship of Him and our desire to bless those whom we love.