In our culture, a sizeable part of celebrating Christmas involves sorting out who you’re going to buy presents for, how much money you’ll spend, how to accomplish the whole process of shopping and wrapping and giving and receiving all sorts of gifts. It can be so overwhelming and it comes at such a stressful time of year, and it all has to be done by December 25th (or, for Orthodox Christians, January 6), and we might just feel like calling a big fat “TIME OUT” to say, “Do I have to do it this way?”
Of course, some of us decide to opt out of the whole gift-giving practice altogether. And that solves some problems, but it also runs the risk of taking some of the joy out of the annual celebration of Jesus’ birth, especially for the children in our lives.
But there is another way. It is possible to transform your gift-giving this Christmas into something more. All it takes is a little prayer. Specifically:
1) Pray before you buy.
The Bible describes the “magi” who visited the baby Jesus and gave the first recorded Christmas gifts. It says, “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11, NIV).
We may infer that they didn’t pick up their gifts at the last minute from the 7-11 down the street. They probably planned those gifts well in advance. So maybe take a hint from the magi: pray and plan before you buy. Ask God to help you give what you can afford and what the recipients will appreciate.
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2) Pray as you shop.
People have written whole books about the appropriateness of the magi’s gifts—gold for a newborn king, incense for a priest after the order of Melchizedek, and myrrh, a spice used in burial for the one sent to suffer and die for the sins of the world. It is unlikely that the magi knew such things, but whether on purpose or by divine intervention, they gave very personalized gifts to the Christ child.
So, whether you go to a store or click “purchase” on a website, remember that—and remember, too, that the best gifts are often more creative than expensive, and more thoughtful than material. In fact, your best gift may not be a purchase at all, but the prayer you offer for the person for whom the gift is intended.
3) Pray as you wrap.
The time you spend wrapping your gifts is another opportunity to pray for each person on your Christmas list—especially if, as you wrap, you envision God’s presence and power surrounding and enclosing that person. You may even want to do more than just write the recipient’s name on the gift tag; you may wish to inscribe a short prayer, or a Scripture reference such as Numbers 6:24-26 or Ephesians 3:14-21, that expresses your prayer for him or her.
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4) Pray as you give.
The magi got their presentation right. The Bible says, very specifically, that before they presented their gifts to Jesus, “They bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts” (Matthew 2:11, NIV). They didn’t just send their gifts Camel Express or leave them on the doorstep. They intensified the effect of their gifts by how they presented them.
Wouldn’t it be something to imitate the magi in that respect this year? Wouldn’t it be something if we didn’t just toss our gifts at one another but took care to lovingly and thoughtfully present them, telling each other, “I pray you like it; I chose it just for you, because I want nothing more than for you to feel loved and valued this Christmas.” Or something like that.
Praying as you give may transform your Christmas celebration, not only for you but also for everyone on your list. It may help you honor the best gift you’ve ever received—the Incarnate One Himself. And your prayers for those you love may turn out to be the best gifts you have ever given.
