SHOP!

What happened? Just one day after a feast celebrating all we have been given, we charge into a buying frenzy for things we “want” or “need.” What changed? Our focus. Turns out that having enough isn’t enough. And sometimes “more” isn’t enough either. Anyone might think that Christmas is about stuff. But is it?

Christmas began with giving. The first, and best, Christmas gift was given by God; He gave His son. Then we read about the Wise Men. Their gifts were acts of acknowledgement and worship: Gold because the infant was a King, Frankincense because the baby was God, Myrrh because the child was mortal man. We give gifts to please each other (or to feel generous – and that’s okay, too), but our choices rarely acknowledge God or worship the Savior. It’s not our fault. We have been programmed – from birth – to think Christmas is all about getting first, and giving second.

But God has always been all about giving:

So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.  He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. James 1:16-19 NLT

His prized possession? Does that mean that God’s favorite gift is – us? Maybe, since He went to such lengths to “purchase” and “redeem” us.

So perhaps we should grab our focus firmly with both hands and pull it back where it belongs: on the Giver of all things. Because that is what Christmas is all about.

If a green and mean Grinch can figure it out, so can we. (Besides, I have discovered that unless I deliberately shift my focus, holiday stress turns me into an angry Grinch.)

Years ago, my sister and her little daughter had a tradition. When a catalog came, they sat down to look at it, but not for things they wanted. They searched for things they already had.

So this year, let’s continue remembering the things God has freely given us. The things we already have. Because who wants be a Grinch this Christmas?

And let’s start with that amazing Gift.