Christmas IS about presents

One of my favorite booke is Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women". After my Mary became a teenager, I often felt that the main character, Jo, reminded me of her; strong, quick to anger, quick to forgive, caring, nurturing, feisty and highly intelligent. In this book Jo is quoted as saying "Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents"... She states this during what was a major civil war and when money let alone food was hard to come by. Even then, Christmas was about gifts and it always has been. As uncomforable as this may make us feel with all of the emphasis on gimme, gimme,gimme; buy, buy, buy, or charge, charge, charge, it is a sad fact of our world... even many of those who are not Christian have adopted Christmas in some form with this exact idea in mind; Christmas is about presents.

So, you, like me probably admonish our children to remember the reason for the season, even though we apparently have difficulty remembering it ourselves while we are caught up in the chaos, the materialism, the commercialism (to paraphrase Charlie Brown) of Christmas.

So, today, I am meditating on the Real role of gifts in the Christmas story (and no, I do not mean a fringed lampshade sitting on a net stockinged base). I am talking about those gifts that were wrapped in miracles, which is probably why we will never find them in malls, or on line, or in a catalog...

The first gift was the gift of Spirit, also known as unconditional love.

The second gift came from a young Jewish girl named Miriam; she gave the gift of selflessness. She completely surrendered her ego and will which was needed to bring Heaven down to earth.

Then we have the gifts of her fiance/husband Joseph which were trust and faith. He trusted Mary when she said she had not laid with another man and he believed in the divine plan that was sent to get them through what was truthfully one horrid mess.

The Christ child brought the gifts of forgiveness, second chances, and wholeness; repair.

The choir of angels brought the gifts of comfort, joy and peace as well as the reassurance that there was nothing to fear. They brought a reason to be joyful.

The poor little shepherd boys gift was generosity as the only thing he had to give was (no not a drum song) his favorite lamb.

The innkeepers wife gave gifts of compassion and charity in the form of a dry safe place for a homeless family to stay, her best cover to wrap the new born baby in and a meal for the family and hay for their beast of burden who had carried them all that way.

Then there were the three kings from the east who had followed a bright star in search of a royal birth that sages of yore had said would lead them to the birth place of the King of Kings. On their camels backs were treasures with which to honor the baby's arrival. But when they arrived they were NOT led to a palace. They found this newborn prince in of all places a cow stall. How shocked these Wise Men must have been as they unwrapped their gold, frankincense, and myrrh... expensive gifts to be sure. But their real gifts were pricelss as they were wonder, acceptance, and courage. They offered wonder by surrendering logic, reason, and common sense. Accepting the impossible, they suspended skepticism long enough to double cross the insane King Herod who was frantically searching for the child who it was said would change the world. And, with courage, at the risk of their own lives, these Wise Men helped the young family escape to a safe haven in Egypt until the danger had passed.

Oh yes, Christmas is truly about gifts. It is nothing but gifts. But oh such wonderous gifts. Gifts tied not with bows but with heartstrings. Gifts that surprise and delight long after the newness or the "battteries" wear out. Gifts that nurture the souls of both the giver and the given. Perfect, authentic, soul driven, gifts. The gifts of Spirit all wrapped up in a frightened teenage girl, her bewildered boyfriend, a child, angels, a shepherd boy, an inkeepers wife and Three Kings. The gifts of the Magi.

Unconditional Love.
Selflessness
Trust
Faith
Forgiveness
Wholeness
Second Chances
Comfort
Joy
Peace
Reassurance
Rejoicing
Generosity
Compassion
Charity
Wonder
Acceptance
Courage.

These are the gifts I long to give and to receive this year. Yes the economy is hard and money tight.. and the gimmees are still running wild. But to give such gifts as these... to truly open our hearts to receive such gifts gratefully is the gift the Universe offers to all of us, no matter what our religious belief.

Christmas just won't be Christmas without any presents... How right you were little Jo...

Amen

Blessed be.