Someone asked me what I was hoping to find under the Christmas tree this year and I think I gave them a headache. Here’s an excerpt of the conversation:

Them: “so what would like to see under the tree this year”?

Me: “air”

Them: “an air what”?

Me: “no, not a thing, just air”

Them: “well you can’t just have air under your tree, there needs to be presents”

Me: “oh really, says who”?

That’s when the colour in their face changed and I thought it was a good time to wrap the conversation up. It was pretty obvious to me that no matter how much time I spent trying to explain myself they just weren’t going to get it, or me. They were in the “gotta get the perfect present” this year mode.

This year we are forgoing the “traditional Christmas” insanity that revolves around crawling through malls, trolling on line and thumbing through catalogues to find “the perfect gift”. Everything I could ever need I already have and more. Everything I could ever want is in His hands and is wrapped up in prayer.

Every year millions of people drive themselves into debt trying to make Christmas Day special for someone else and many of them either forget or don’t know just whose birthday it is. I have no clue how celebrating the birth of Christ turned into a day of present giving to everyone else.

What presents are we leaving under the tree for the One whose birthday it is that we are celebrating? What gifts will we pull our hair out trying to find for Him? How much of our hard earned money are willing to spend to show Him just how much he means to us, on this, His day of birth?

This year the floor beneath our Christmas tree will not be the obscene heap of brightly wrapped boxes complete with bows leaving in it’s wake piles of crumpled paper to recycle. Followed by the migraine of trying to return gifts that were too small, too big or just not “me”. This year I have but one gift to give to the actual person whose birthday we celebrate, myself and I know I won’t see Him in the gift exchange lines on Boxing Day.