The Gifts of Christmas

Why do we have to have Christmas?  We should be celebrating Christ all year round.  I understand that Christmas is about Christ but, why is Christmas the way that it is now?  I get so frustrated with all the fluff Christmas brings.  Christmas isn’t real anymore.  Christmas as a child was just a competition who can get the best gift from santa (no santa does not need to be capitalized) and now as an adult it is who can give the best gift.  People just write endless lists of wants and desires which mostly are full of worldly things.  Things that don’t really matter.  So why do we even have Christmas lists?  That is just greedy.  A gift, as stated on dictionary.com, is “something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make gesture of assistance”.  So why do we make lists.  Hey everybody! Since you are all obligated to get me a gift this year this is here are some ideas that way you don’t get me anything I don’t want.  Is there anything not selfish about making a Christmas list?  Also, if you want to get someone a gift for Christmas it should be because you want to.  You should not have to ask for a list of wants.  It should be a gift with meaning.  If you just go buy something so you can check it off the list it really isn’t a true gift. Is it? Where did the gifts start?  If we read John 3:16 it states “For God so loved the world, that he gave his onlybegotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  This was the very first gift that was given.  There was a reason for this gift.  God gave it because he wanted to.  It was something personal that he choose to give to us.  Next we can look at the gifts of the three wise men.  They gave gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Why has gifts now turned into just gold.  Whatever happened to the frankincense and myrrh?   Although gold is generally looked at as the most valuable worldly thing we can have, the two wise men that brought the frankincense and myrrh put just as much thought into their gifts.  The most thoughtful and appreciated gifts always consist of the following: practical utility, symbolical meaning, and personal value. 

"Gold

Practical use: For a young couple who would soon have the expense of traveling to Egypt to avoid the wrath of Herod, the gold would be an invaluable gift.

Symbolic meaning: Gold is the typical gift for kings (see 1 Kings 9:14, 28) because it symbolizes kingship and royalty—a fitting gift for the “King of kings” (1 Timothy 6:15).

Frankincense

Practical use: Aside from its considerable monetary value, frankincense was used as a sweet-smelling incense and perfume.

Symbolic meaning: Frankincense comes from a sweet tree resin and was used in priesthood ordinances, in burnt offerings (see Leviticus 2:1), and in oil for anointing priests. Thus, it can represent the Lord’s priesthood and His role as the Lamb of God to be sacrificed on our behalf (see John 1:29).

Myrrh

Practical use: Myrrh, a bitter oil from a tree resin, was also economically valuable but probably more beneficial to Mary and Joseph for its medicinal uses.

Symbolic meaning: In the New Testament, myrrh is usually associated with embalming and burial because of its preservative qualities (see John 19:39–40). Myrrh’s medicinal uses can symbolize Christ’s role as the Master Healer, and its use in burials can symbolize “the bitter cup” He would drink when He suffered for our sins (see D&C 19:18–19)." https://www.lds.org/youth/article/thoughtful-gifts?lang=eng

This Christmas as we search for the gifts we want to give let us keep in mind the true meaning of gifts.  Let us try to make our gifts more meaningful and less of just another thing we have to do to check off the list.