Day 360: Gifts...

I'll admit even as a child it always struck me as odd that we would celebrate a holiday by giving gifts to one another.  Don't get me wrong, I wanted all those wonderful toys I got as a child and usually had a pretty lengthy wish list but it just seemed weird that we would just go out and buy each other random things as a symbol of our faith.  I know Christmas is more than just gift buying but in my simple mind, which hasn't changed much over the years, it just seems like it kinda got twisted into a celebration of wants.

I tell ya right now I totally suck at gift buying and this whole season creates more pressure and anxiety for me, trying to figure out what to get someone.  There was a post not long ago on Facebook that said something along the lines of "as I get older the gifts that matter most to me don't cost anything."  I'm sure I butchered the saying but hopefully you caught the meaning. I realize now, more than ever, that no purchased gift would ever come close to the things that matter most to me which is life itself.  Like a Master Card commercial, "A Canon 5D Mark III, $3,500.  The gift of life, priceless."  I don't just mean the gift of being alive.  I mean the gift of my very own existence and everything that defines my life, no matter how big or small.  My family and friends.  My vocation and hobbies.  My dreams, ambitions, tastes, interests and experiences.  The list goes on and on.  I couldn't put a price tag on all the things that have forged the path of my life.  Every person I've encountered and every experience along the way has created the man I am today.

So the question for me has been, if all these people and all these experiences have created this gift of life that I'm experiencing, am I such a gift in anyone else's life?   And if not, why not?  It's nice to buy that special gift for someone, spend the money on some really cool toy or gadget.  But have I been more than that?  The real gift is not the tangible object we give but actually BEING the gift.  How you live and love and how you engage the world around you is the real, true gift.  I am truly blessed with so many wonderful people in my life and so many wonderful and extraordinary experiences.  I know some of you may read this and feel that it doesn't apply to you, that you have nothing to offer anyone.  It may just be a story but the point is true...The little drummer boy had nothing to offer but a song in his heart and that was truly priceless compared to all the riches bestowed upon the baby Jesus by the three wise men.  Gold gets spent, frankincense gets consumed, toys break, clothes wear out, technology gets antiquated, but the impact we have on each other is truly priceless.  I couldn't begin to put a value on what my friends, family and even casual acquaintances are to me.  Like George Bailey, he may have been broke but what he meant to those around him goes beyond words.  There are a lot of George Bailey's in my life.  I can only hope that I could be half as much to others.

So as we exchange gifts this Christmas day, tearing into that new camera equipment or gaming console or that jacket we've always wanted, remember that the real gift is YOU and the greatest gift we can give one another is each other.

Merry Christmas and God's blessings upon you and yours this day and always...