What if there were no gifts under the tree?

What if there were no gifts under the tree?

Twinkling lights reflect off the bright, shiny ornaments on the Christmas tree, while festive music floats through the air. The house is filled with the tantalizing scents of cinnamon, nutmeg, orange, and cranberries. Moms and dads, grandpas and grandmothers, spend hours searching for the perfect gift on Amazon or fighting through the crowds in busy shopping malls. Children, young and old, hope that a special gift will be under the tree when it is time to open presents.

Then, on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, depending on the family’s tradition, the family gathers in anticipation to finally open the colorfully wrapped packages stacked under the tree. But what would the response be if, when that long-awaited moment arrives, there were no gifts to open? What if all they saw was a simple manger scene? Would the responses be filled with surprise, disappointment, or frustration? After all, it’s Christmas! Aren’t we supposed to get gifts?

This is our tradition, and there is nothing wrong with giving gifts to loved ones and friends, but it’s not our birthday. Yet, the nativity scene needs to remind us that we have already been given the most precious gift in the world… Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is the greatest gift of love ever given.

What if all we had at Christmas was the gift of Jesus? What gifts would we have? Unconditional love, forgiveness of sins, a guaranteed home in heaven, an abiding Holy Spirit, a caring Shepherd, acceptance by the Father, and mercy and grace, to name a few. If He had not been willing to be born as a man, live, die, and be resurrected, we would be miserable and hopelessly lost. These are priceless gifts that can’t be bought or earned.

The primary purpose of Christmas is to celebrate Jesus’s birth. Are we teaching our children this truth? Will they grow up understanding the divine gift we celebrate at Christmas? They won’t unless we teach them, and we must teach them.

If it is His birthday, should we not give Him gifts? So, what gifts can we give Him? What can a mere mortal give to the Creator of the Universe, the King of Kings? We can give our love, devotion, and a surrendered will. We can give our praise and thankfulness, and these are gifts we can give not only at Christmas but every day.

May each of us give these gifts with all our hearts, and let us sing His praises in Christmas carols, hymns, or choruses. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11 KJV).

I wish each of you a wonderful Christmas, whether you are with family or alone, whether you have gifts under your tree or not, or even if you don’t have a tree. Most of all, I hope you have Christ as your personal Savior, and then you will have the most valuable, eternal gift of all.

”Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15 KJV).