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Buying Gifts

I wonder if this is a confession...I can't remember a single Christmas present that we've ever bought for our daughter.  In fact, I think we may not have bought her a single Christmas present, ever.  Don't worry, she's opened up tons of gifts.  And maybe that's why we've never added to the stash.  I love that she has been so blessed with gifts, but I had to come to terms with the fact that I wasn't buying her anything.  That she doesn't have anything to look back on and say "My parents gave me that for Christmas when I was five."  But let's be honest here, who can say that except for maybe a five year old.
Having lived through 35 Christmas's already, I will admit, I remember several gifts that my parents got me for Christmas and I will also admit that they are stored aka not in use or have long since passed hands.  It reminds me that the things of this world pass away, but the word of the Lord remains forever.
There is a tremendous push to accumulate things of this world, but there has to be because they fade so quickly, if you don't consume them now, you might never get the chance to?  I mean how many of us are still listening to 8 tracks?  Who still plays with Rainbow Brite? Has anyone seen a leisure suit on the rack lately?

This is stuff that we all had to have, and now it has run its course and has faded away.  What can we do this Christmas that invests in things that aren't fading?  Here's some practical ideas for you.

1. Be with people.  Don't go to parties and eat the snacks, drink the drinks and then miss out on the best treat of all, the conversations!  Make time, even if that means that you have to give something else up, to be with people any way you can.

2. Write a postcard.  Stationary can be overwhelming when you want to just let someone know that you're thinking of them, so send a post card, just to say hi and say a prayer as it goes out your door.

3.  Celebrate every day.  Don't wait until Christmas day to give gifts, none of us are guaranteed a single moment of time on this earth except the one that we are in.  Yes, waiting is an important skill to learn.  But let's be honest, shouldn't we be building anticipation for the birth of the king more than which doll is under the tree?

4.  Take time to pray.  Talk with Jesus this season, those conversations will be a wise investment in your future.

What do you do to make the season everlasting?


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