Are any of you in the midst of a mad Christmas rush to find the perfect gift for family or friend? Maybe it’s for a present for the office Christmas party or an event at church.
Whatever the occasion, buying gifts can be a challenge. If friends live far away, we have to deal with shipping fees and making sure we’ve sent the items in a timely manner.
Sometimes it is the challenge of finding the gifts that our children want—which of course happens to be the same item that every other child wants, leading to a nationwide shortage and otherwise rational adults grappling over the last one on the store shelves.
Read More: Guideposts 2016 Holiday Gift Guide
What about the fun of buying for that difficult person on your Christmas list? You know, the one who already has everything he or she wants or is impossible to please.
But you know what? Sometimes we forget that “we” are really the best present. Spending time with a loved one at Christmas can be a priceless gift as we take time to attend church programs together to celebrate the reason for the season. Or as we make time to hold grandchildren on our laps while we sit in front of the soft glow of the tree and sing Christmas carols together. As we find moments to make memories baking cookies together or squeeze in time to visit loved ones in nursing homes or to brighten someone’s day while they’re in the hospital.
You see, looking back at the Christmases that my family has had together, I can’t remember most of the gifts that I gave or received, but I can remember the laughter at the kitchen table as my flour-covered little boys made sugar cookies.
I can remember little hands placing ornaments on the tree, treasured guests who came to Christmas dinner and holiday get-togethers at our house. I remember the delighted smile of a cherished older friend in an assisted living home when she saw our faces at the door.
Those are the true gifts, the ones that I treasure. What are the gifts that you will remember from Christmas this year?
