And then, there is Tikki Tikki. Tikki Tikki joined our family last year when he first appeared the night of Thanksgiving. He is our stealth little elf, always moving about the house at night and surprising us the next morning with a new spot to observe our naughty and nice behavior. I have to hand it to him - Tikki Tikki knows how to dismantle an argument between Jack and Gabe without ever speaking a word or moving a muscle. His presence alone will cause the boys to "politely" remind each other that Santa will know about this particular sparring match, and the boys will promptly calm down and continue playing cordially. I really need to take lessons from this little elf. Jack reminds Tikki Tikki (who reports to Santa every night) that he wants a remote control El Chupacabra and a grain cart for his tractors. When Gabe is asked what present he wants for Christmas, his reply is, "A green one." Hopefully Tikki Tikki will find out what that means soon.
I can still reach back in my mind and just barely recall what that felt like... to believe. The magic of Christmas was such a powerful notion in my gentle childish heart. I remember staying awake as long as I possibly could on Christmas Eve, longing to hear sleigh bells in the sky.
Hope in something I couldn't see... faith that it would come like it did every year. Christmas.
When Eric and I were first married, we loved surprising each other with over the top gifts for Christmas... It was a competition. Now, if I am being honest, I typically beat Eric at, well, most things. Scrabble, P90X Ab Ripper, and the majority of our arguments are just a few examples. (He accepts this very well - or maybe he just lets me win - a good husband indeed.) But never have I EVER beat him at Christmas. This man of mine knows how to shop - and does it very well. After the year I opened a new charm for my Pandora bracelet, a designer leather purse and a new kitchen aid mixer (which he informed me he had purchased at Kohl's without a coupon and I nearly had a heart attack), among other gifts, I had to beg him to tone it down the following year or else we'd need to take out a second mortgage. Luckily, the following Christmas we had a new little life to pour all of our love into, and our focus shifted from ourselves to our baby boy.
I absolutely love playing the role of Santa. Nothing brings me greater joy than to see my boys' faces light up with excitement and wonder. When they run into the family room to see cookie crumbs on Santa's plate and presents under the tree, their brilliant smiles and giggles bring tears of joy to my eyes. The magic of Christmas is affirmed every December 25th when dreams and wishes come true in the little hearts of those who believed. However, two years ago, after the presents had been opened and we had sung Happy Birthday to Jesus and blew out the candles on His cake, something didn't feel right.
A stirring began in my heart last year. Something was changing. When Eric asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I didn't have a reply. I couldn't come up with a list. There just wasn't anything I really wanted... or needed. I believe God started working in both Eric's and my heart at the same time. On a much needed date night, we sat and chatted over a delicious dinner about how blessed we were and both felt like we needed to shift our focus on what the holidays meant for us. We decided that we would choose to forgo our traditional gift-giving with each other and concentrate instead on giving to others in need. God prompted us to ignite a new ministry at our church, where a church family could adopt a local family in need and bless them with a Christmas dinner and gifts for the children. As Eric, Jack, Gabe and I walked down the aisles of the grocery store last year, the only items in our cart meant for another family, I was finally able to identify the growing discomfort in my heart.
Every year on Christmas I open presents on someone else's birthday. I tried imagining showing up to my own birthday party thrown by my friends and family where everyone was exchanging gifts with each other - but nobody had gotten ME anything! I am human, which means I am selfish. I admit it. As a tired, stay at home mom I can honestly say that when it's my birthday, I would prefer the day to be mostly about me. I mean, hey, it only happens once a year, right?
Last year Eric and I had followed God's calling to serve others, and it taught us in a mighty way that it is better to give than receive. But it wasn't until this holiday season that I fully understood why. I want desperately to give a gift to Jesus. A real, tangible birthday gift perfectly fit for a King. God revealed to me how to do so as He recently breathed new life in some Scripture I had read many times before.
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep and the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord,when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and cloth you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go visit you?"
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:31-40 (NIV)
I am certain that God is watching over us with great pleasure as we experience the joy of gift-giving on Christmas morning with our dearest family and friends. God is not human, which means He is NOT selfish in nature, and actually delights in watching others be generous and thoughtful with each other on the day we celebrate the birth of the most perfect and gracious gift ever given - His only Son, Jesus. But this Scripture brought me full circle. We are capable of bearing gifts to our King. He is not intangible. He is not unreachable.
Every time we donate a canned good to the local food pantry we aren't just feeding a hungry mouth. We are feeding Jesus. When we stuff a shoebox full of toys and socks and candy and crayons and send it to the other side of the world for children in third world countries to enjoy - we are blessing Jesus as well. When we go caroling in the nursing homes, spreading Christmas cheer, we are in fact singing for Jesus. When we wrap up toys and donate them to our local fire departments and hospitals, we aren't just giving hope to little hearts in despair, but we are clothing Jesus in thoughtful love. When we open up our homes to those who are lonely, forgotten about, (and what about the man that is always standing on the side of the road with the "will work for food" sign?)... we are inviting Jesus into the very heart of our home.
One of my all-time favorite Christmas songs is Sandi Patty's "The Gift Goes On." The song illuminates this never ending gift the Father has bestowed upon us. Essentially, in our desire to serve Jesus by feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, clothing the poor... we aren't just serving him, but rather being Jesus to a broken and hurting world. We are extending our gratitude towards our Father in heaven as we extend Jesus to those we encounter. What an amazing God we serve that works in such a glorious way.
Making Christmas an outward display of love (rather than inward and only blessing those in my close circles) is where the real magic of Christmas will reveal itself. People will start to believe again... having a hope in someone they can't see, and a faith in someone that will always come - every year, every month, every day, every moment our world seems to be falling apart, every time we are sad and weary, burdened... and overjoyed. Jesus. The most perfect gift.
