The fourth tradition I enjoy at Christmas time is making gifts! Although I always end up doing late night workshop sessions and getting slightly stressed out, I still have fun creating!
I think I enjoy the hand-made gifts that people give the most, because you know they take both time and thought. It's like they are giving you a piece of themselves in their artfulness.
Gift giving originated from a Roman pagan celebration called Saturnalia. From the birth of the celebration of Christmas, Christians frowned upon gift-giving as it seemed to encourage the pagan holiday. They would typically exchange gifts on New Year's Eve or Twelfth Night. Gradually, with the fame of St. Nicholas' selfless deeds of giving, Christians began to give gifts on the Savior's birthday. It may have began as a pagan ritual, but to believers today, it reminds us of the greatest Gift of all. There's a song by Randy Travis that sheds light on this:
He was the Son God sent to one and all.
Put on this earth to hang there on that cross.
Born to die so we could live.
He had the birthday, we got the gift.
What was your favorite hand-made Christmas gift? What does gift-giving at Christmas mean to you?
2 comments:
Um... I don't know my fav. homemade Christmas gift. But Jimmy did give me a pet rock for my birthday once. It even had a little paper house that he made! Mom told me that there used to be a fad with pet rocks. They actually sold them in the store! I thought that was really crazy. If anyone wants a pet rock we've got like, a million of them in our driveway! =P I don't think dad would appreciate my giving away our gravel though. Okay, getting really off subject! I think gift giving is great. I really enjoy giving, and,(I admit), getting Christmas presents. But it is easy to get wrapped up in gift giving though. Get it? Wrapped up! Ha! Okay, I really didn't mean to do a pun there. I realized it after. Anyway, those words from the Randy Travis song were really nice. We need to remember what Christmas is really about! Jesus is the greatest Christmas gift of all!
P.S. I hope you don't mind the really long comment!
I really like giving homemade gifts that mean something to the person to the people who are receiving them. I think my favorite gift that I received was a hand painted carnival horse that my mother made for me, it was grey horse with beautiful designs
around the saddle and it had my name delicately painted onto it. I hope and pray that I will realize every year the wonderful love of God in thanking Him for the greatest gift of all. Jesus Christ our lord!
Post a Comment