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Gift-giving at Christmas is a relatively new idea. Until a couple of centuries ago, Christmas was reserved as a religious holiday on a noncommercial basis. Many of our forefathers would have believed that trading presents on the day set aside to observe Christ's birthday was near blasphemy. However, gift giving became a generally accepted practice and was used primarily to show appreciation to loved ones.

Gifts were usually simple, regardless of the means of the giver so as to not embarrass those who couldn't afford to give very much. For a long while in most countries, gifts were exchanged on New Year's Day (not a bad idea today--think of the great buys you could get!). Christmas gifts were limited to food for the poor or special gifts to pastors and missionaries.

As with most things that start out right, somewhere along the way the direction shifted. By the early twentieth century, families were exchanging simple gifts, usually handmade, on Christmas Day. Certainly there was really nothing wrong with that, except that under the growing influence of secularism it was a golden opportunity for Satan to divert our attention from Christ to Santa Claus. By post-World War II, Santa was the dominate figure at Christmas and December was the calendar month for retail sales of all kinds.

How did it happen? It would seem apparent that Christians aren't as wise in the things of the Lord as non-Christians are in the things of the world. The secular world is always looking for ways to shift attention from God to material things, and we're naive enough to go along. By the time we realize that our whole direction has been diverted, as it has been at Christmas, we believe it's too late to change, so we give up.

"Using Your Money Wisely" by Larry Burkett. Published by Moody Press, a division of the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, IL.
"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world" (1 John 2:16).

Brother and sister operators, I am not saying not to buy gifts, but to understand and to seek further understanding of what

Christmas really means and what truly are the most important gifts of all. God gave his Son as a gift of redemption for us. What do we give back to Him? What do you think the most important thing we can give our families are? Besides the word of God, let me suggest our Time, and most of all our Love and understanding. There have been many times that I have heard, "when are you going to have time for us" coming from my wife and children.

There are times that if we just stop, are still and listen; we gain a wealth of understanding. Things become clearer, and we realize what we were focusing so much of our time and attention on is actually part of our problem.

Let's not stress over money, bills, the biggest presents, and impressing others this year. Let's try loving more, giving more time, reaching out to those who are truly in need, and teaching our Children how important and gratifying it is to truly help someone else. Let's remember the love that brought us together with our husbands and wives. Sometimes it is challenging not to become so involved with work that we put our families on the back burner.

Remember the most rewarding gifts come from sowing, and not wasting our talents, or our time.

We have enlisted in God's army and now we can't identify the real enemy. "No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier" (2 Timothy 2:4).
Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17).

We don't have to freely turn our minds over to enemy. We need to continually battle him at all times. He wants us to stress, become depressed, and lose control. The enemy wants our families to be misled, not knowing the truth. Let's make this Christmas, the year we take it back from society and celebrate with the true meaning in our hearts, letting that overflow into our families. Friends and those around us.

God Bless all of you,

Chaplain "Chappy" McDorman