Fine Gifts

The Fifth Day of Christmas:  And the three astrologers from the East brought the new king, Jesus, gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Did you ever wonder what 'frankincense and myrrh' were?  They are resins from trees that had medicinal uses in Jesus' time.  The gifts must have been extremely valuable if, along with the gold, the three kings brought them a long distance.  I wonder if Mary and Joseph sold these fine gifts to finance their trip to Egypt. . .

What was your favorite Christmas gift you received this year?  Was it expensive or a small gift from the heart?  We are so blessed, it is hard to pick just one.  Many years ago, my parents were living in Sacramento, California, U.S.A.  They sent me an airplane ticket to visit them.  They said, "We can't afford to bring everyone (they visited us, though), just you."  In the summer, I flew to Dallas, then to Sacramento.  It was my first trip west.  We have a country of immense size!  It was wonderful  to see the mountains and the desert go on and on.  Looking back, I severely needed that trip.  I didn't realize it, and I really hate to admit it, but I think I was 'burnt out' on motherhood.  This two-week break rested me and energized me so that I was very glad to get home again and resume my busy life.

Now let's think of the favorite Christmas gift we gave.  My first semester in nursing school in 1990 was very, very hard, in every way.  I studied nearly every waking moment and actually earned passing grades.  With my involvement in the music at church, I had very little time to shop.  I bought one gift. It was a large brass bell on a cloth cord, a necklace.  The family gifts were already taken care of; I didn't have to worry about them.  So who would I give this one gift to?  I thought about this for a long time and decided I would give it to the shuttle bus driver who drove me from the parking lot to the University of Kentucky College of Nursing.  She was so cheery, I always started out the day happy.  And besides, she probably didn't have a great salary.  She was very thrilled to receive my gift and that made it even more memorable.

The psychology of gift-giving is interesting.  Do we actually 'study' those whom we want to gift, and determine what they really like, or are our gifts given (unconsciously) to benefit us?  Here's an example of this: for many years, I loved to do many different kinds of embroidery.  Nearly everything I crafted, I gave as gifts. One Christmas, I spent a lot of time making placemats for my mother.  Later, I discovered them, unused.  Maybe I wasn't really thinking of what she would like, just what I would like to do.

How many men would love yet another tie or another tool set?  How many women yearn for another practical gift?  It's hard to discover what another really likes!

And what about gift-receiving?  I was raised to express gratitude for each and every gift, even if I didn't like it, because the giver spent time choosing and wrapping it.  Not so my mother-in-law, Sally, may she rest in peace!  One Christmas I sewed for her a red jumper and a plaid, long-sleeved shirt (in style at the time).  She opened the box and said, "I like the jumper but I hate plaid.  I won't wear it."  I was crushed!

There is one gift, the best gift of all time, the gift God gave us at Christmas, his son, Jesus.  We can never deserve this Gift of Divine Love!