Christmas Gifts

When my wife and I were first married we didn't have much money for Christmas gifts. The year was 1977 and we were living in Menominee, WI - a 4+ hour drive from our families living in the Milwaukee suburbs.

My wife was working as a dietitian at the Eau Claire hospital and I was pounding nails as a carpenter.

When Christmastime came, we struggled to come up with Christmas gift ideas for our family members. My wife had made a piece of embroidery in one of her classes. I brought a 4x4 chunk of wood home from the junk pile at the job site. Those two things, plus a nail, and we fashioned a candle holder. We also splurged and bought a candle too. Ooo! (lace not included).

The carpenter crew I was working on was putting siding on a house - a beautiful A-frame with cedar siding. The cornerboards were made out of 1x4 rough-sawn cedar - one board lapped on top of the other - to form an L-shape. In order to get the corners symmetrical, a 3/4" strip had to be cut off one of the boards. The leftover strips were thrown into the dumpster as scrap. But not for long.

I brought the cedar scraps home and began cutting them into pieces. These became picture frames and also stars to put on the top of our Christmas tree, and the trees of our parents. My wife then baked some cookies and our gift "shopping" was done.

Today, we live in a world of gift cards and Amazon Prime. We see, we buy, we check people off a shopping list. Christmas cards are also becoming a thing of the past.

Life was much simpler 47 years ago, and I think better in many ways. Gifts were simpler, more personal, and the giving came more from the heart.

This year our daughter gave me just such a gift. She created it herself. And printed it herself. And she KNEW the gift recipient's heart, which made it truly special.

All gifts given and received are wonderful things, but sometimes the simplest gifts can be the most meaningful. Seek the simple things in life, not necessarily the most convenient. Give from the heart, and not out of obligation. The best gifts are given out of love, and often by using the gifts that we ourselves have already been given.

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” - 2 Corinthians 9:7 

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” - 1 Peter 4:10