It's that time of year again, that season when the jingle of bells and the clicking of credit cards is ringing in my ears as I shop, shop, shop until I drop, drop, drop. I actually love it. It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year is continually looped in my brain as I wander through shopping malls looking for that special gift.
I try to be creative in my selections, which works against me some of the time. Like the year I gave my parents matching rugby shirts. Umm, first of all, who really wants matching clothes...and who really plays rugby…with their spouse? Another year I gave my dad a lamp with a face on it…apparently people don’t like to be stared at by their own furniture first thing in the morning! Why my family still speaks to me is a mystery. I should have taken the hint when they said; “We don’t really need anything unique this year." But no, I don’t take hints. I just keep going like some cranked-up elf on the ultimate quest to find that perfect present. I haven’t found it yet but I am definitely starting to exhaust the possibilities of what is NOT the perfect gift. And I won’t stop, stop, stop until I drop, drop, drop.
I’m not the only one confused by the gifting. Like when an artsy-craftsy person gave me a Santa head made out of a Clorox bottle. Okay...nice, I’ll keep it right next to... where I keep the Clorox! It certainly is…cheerful…with those jiggly eyes that roll around. Someone spent their valuable time making it and I can only hope they had fun doing it. They do get extra points for recycling… which I plan to do as well: Dad’s lamp will have a friend to look at.
Giving is a sweet way to show appreciation, but the Christmas season is so much more than that. What truly makes the holidays special to me is when I hear people freely singing praises to Jesus and telling the wonder of His birth. Intentional or not, it is amazing to hear strangers wishing strangers a "Merry Christmas", speaking the name of the Savior in the spirit of love and giving. Even those who seek to take Christ out of Christmas via political correctness gone astray cannot completely eliminate the real reason for the season. Jesus is still the gift and what we give Him in return is to remember others in our lives with love and appreciation, maybe not with gifts that can stare back at us but with simple gestures that show we care. To me, that’s what makes it the most wonderful time of the year.
I remember the time I painted my dad a beer stein...why, you ask when he doesnt even drink? He still has it though pretty close to the armadillo made out of a gourd. It's good they love us regardless. Loved your piece, LL. xo, Lori Q
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