Gift Giving

Gift?giving at Christmas is meant to be an expression of our joy and exuberance over the gift of God to us: Jesus. The name “Emanuel” means God?with?us and every created thing has something of God in it. Julian of Norwich said it this way: “God is everything that is good. And the goodness in things is God.” Certainly the very holiness of gift?giving also makes it a gesture vulnerable to all that is unholy! How many resentments do we harbor around the gifts we gave, received, or failed to receive? And how vulnerable we are to the tempest the world whips up so that we might spend our money—rather than our time or creativity?

Cut back your gift?giving to a manageable size. Infuse your gift preparations with joy and imagination. Consider making your gifts. To make gifts for one another allows our creativity to join in the Creator’s. Children need parental help in preparing their presents for the family. Give each child an evening a week with one parent so that they can plan and make their gifts in secret.

Remember there are at least twelve days of Christmas: from December 24 until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. All the days of Christmas are appropriate for giving and receiving gifts. We don’t have to be in a hurry to get it all done by December 24. We can spread out our joy and celebration of the season by spreading out giving of gifts.

Copyright © 2001 Archdiocese of Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 1800 North Hermitage Avenue, Chicago IL 60622?1101; 1?800?933?1800; www.ltp.org. Text and art by Gertrud Mueller Nelson. All rights reserved. Used with permission.