The gift from Christmas past

December, the time of Christmas Joy, family reunion, laughter love and Peace on Earth … or is it?

This year I have been dreading Christmas because of the busyness, chaos and expensive price tag. I don’t like dreading anything that is supposed to be a time of Love, Peace and Joy. Therefore, I ask myself, what

I am I dreading? I also ask myself what is Christmas really about?

These questions bring back childhood memories and a time when Christmas was about a story of a baby in a manger.

I can picture this familiar manger scene acted out in our local school Christmas concert with a stage full of proud children dressed in bathrobes wearing tea towels on their heads as only children do without embarrassment. I remember envy of the kids who got to play Mary and Joseph because they were the ones who got to hold the doll that represented the reason Christmas came to be.

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All eyes in the school gym were on them and their innocence. We sang carols and played games in between acts. We dressed in our best outfits and were proud to share our Christmas performances with all that came out to watch — so where has that innocence and love for the true meaning of Christmas gone?

Well I can rant and rave about how spoiled kids are nowadays and how Christmas is a pain because of the expensive things we have to buy our children to make them happy, or so it seems.

I can whine about all the money I don’t have and how the busyness of the holidays is exhausting and chaotic OR I can make a decision to bring the true meaning of Christmas back into my home.

I can make an effort to model the innocence and patience I crave my children to have.

I can plan to play board games and build snowmen and read books by the fire. I can plan to share my memories of the manger scene I so fondling remember and what it means to me.

Above all else I can give the gift of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. All of which have more value than an Xbox, iPod or cell phone will ever have.

I challenge you as parents to give the gifts that grow good character to your children and I pray for your children to receive it and develop their own “manger scene” memories.