Wrapped With Love

“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.” 

- Roy L. Smith

As my daughter hugged me goodnight, she said it one more time. “I had so much fun with you today.” I embraced her and her words, and whispered back, “Me too.”

Earlier in the afternoon we shared a Mommy/daughter outing. Nothing extravagant. And perhaps that’s what made it so grand.

The drive to the city was quiet. Meadow enjoyed reading as I admired the deepening shades of autumn. Every now and then, she’d break the silence—usually to share something from her growing Christmas wish list.

At Barnes & Noble, we sat for a moment as the rain poured down. Then we counted to three…and dashed for the doors laughing. Between the inviting aroma of coffee and an endless world of stories, we lost track of time. She disappeared into chapter books, then migrated—as she always does—to science and animal shelves. I searched for world-changing wisdom and balanced it with a bit of magazine fluff. Before we left, the café lured us in for fun drinks.

Next stop, Ulta, per her earnest request. My 11-year-old (because I’m in complete denial about calling her a tween) loves makeup and perfume.  Books and girly stuff, she’s definitely mine.  My “mom side” needed to remind her that she’s wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), and altogether beautiful (Song of Solomon 4:7).   But my sparkle side introduced her to the best blush for her complexion and a fabulous fragrance, for someday.

Our last stop was Chick-fil-A—which we agree completes any good outing. The drive home was dark and rainy but bright with laughter as we played Name That Tune. She kept insisting, “No, Mom, I told you—no more Christmas songs” (my go-tos).  At one point, she blurted out, “Jeremiah was a bullfrog!”  Her guess was incorrect, but we loved laughing as we discussed the whimsical nonsense of the lyrics. 

She’d been asking for a girls’ day, and we both got more than we expected.  I gave her my afternoon and my heart; and she gave me the sweetest of memories. 

Aren’t these the best gifts?  The ones wrapped in time together.

All Wrapped Up

Speaking of gifts and wrapping, have you chosen your Christmas wrapping paper yet? Are you going with something timeless—cream with gold trees, a classic woodland scene, or the nutcracker?  Or perhaps whatever is on hand?  Maybe it will be the ease of gift bags that holds the secrets and surprises. 

Oh, the decisions.  But it doesn’t stop there.  Nope, there’s Christmas shopping, who wears what sizes this year, do we have the ingredients for the casseroles and the desserts?  What?  We need another roll of tape (these kids and tape).  And don’t forget the procrastination that leads to panic. 

Really.  Is that what makes it the most wonderful time of the year?

Let’s take a nice deep breath and settle into a little Christmas secret that will sweeten your December and every bow you tie.

The Gift of Sacrifice

Travel with me to New York City in the early 1900s and O. Henry’s tender classic, The Gift of the Magi.  First published December 10, 1905

Jim and Della are rich in love, but painfully poor in pocket. With Christmas a day away, Della sells her long, beautiful hair—her most prized possession—to buy Jim a fine chain for his beloved pocket watch.

That same day, Jim quietly sells the watch to buy Della the elegant combs she had longed for to adorn her hair.

When they exchange gifts, the irony is gentle but piercing: each gift is now useless—yet more meaningful than ever. In giving up what mattered most, they revealed what mattered more: each other.

O. Henry calls them “the magi,” because they understood the true wisdom of Christmas. Love is the only gift that never loses its value—because love is the gift that gives itself away.

Our Indescribable Gift

The original Magi (the three wise men) brought gifts:

·      Gold for the King - For the Child who was born King of the Jews, the promised Son of David whose throne will never end (Matthew 2:2; Isaiah 9:7).

·      Frankincense for the Deity/Priest - For the holy Son of God who ever lives to make intercession for us, our great High Priest whose once-for-all offering fills heaven with the fragrance of perfect obedience (Hebrews 7:25–27; Revelation 8:3–4).

·      Myrrh for the Death/Burial - For the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, whose bitter cup and borrowed tomb would purchase our freedom and turn every grave into a garden (John 19:39; Psalm 16:10).

These were gifts rich with meaning that fulfilled prophecy.  Yet the greatest gift ever given lay before them—meek and small, the King of Ages Himself, wrapped in cloths and resting in a manger (Luke 2:12).

This Christmas, let us remember.  Time is a gift—meant to be spent wisely.  Love is a gift—meant to be given sacrificially.  Jesus is the Gift—the ultimate gift, the only One we’d be lost without…

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

This verse holds the loving secret to all that we really need to have a “Merry Christmas”. 

Push back what feels stressful.  Question the source of your holly jolly.   Pause and feel it.  For we are—right now, this very moment—wrapped in a love that gave everything.  And that is the miracle that makes everything merry and bright.  Because the beautiful truth within Christmas is, we are—and always will be—wrapped with love.

3-2-1

3 Scripture Verses, 2 Quotes,

and 1 Question to Consider

3 Scripture Verses:

For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders.  He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6 (HCSB)

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast.  Ephesians 2:8–9

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.  2 Corinthians 9:15

2 Quotes:  

“The greatest gift ever given was always a Person wrapped in love, and love is always what we’re created to unwrap, every day.” —Ann Voskamp (from The Greatest Gift)

“When Christ was born so was our hope.”  —Max Lucado

1 Question to Consider:

Do we realize how wrapped with love we really are, because of our indescribable, eternal gift of Jesus?