The Best Gifts…

Well folks. The big day is almost here.
You’ve got 4 days left to finish preparing for Christmas. Are you ready?
My checklist is nearly marked off. I’ve purchased gifts, planned out our Christmas Eve supper, purchased little man’s Christmas PJ’s, decorated the tree…all that’s left for me to do is purchase & mail Christmas cards to our closest family members. And I’m doing that this afternoon. My preparation is almost complete. And I’m extremely proud of the gifts I picked out this year for hubby. And little man already has his. We got him Veggie Tales. And we decided to let him have them now because we were tired of watching the SAME movies over and over. And over. And over again. We’re going to have to buy a new shelf to put his movies on because they are multiplying like rabbits.

This Christmas has been one of a different sort for me. One in which I have focused entirely on others instead of on myself. And I am so very excited about it! I don’t like to think of myself as selfish but I get pretty pumped about Holidays. Especially holidays that result in presents…for me. If you’ve been a follower of my blog for very long {or atleast just for the past month or so} you will have seen that God has really been doing a work in my life. Changing me from the inside out and teaching me how to be the wife and mother [and woman in general] that he intended for me to be from the very beginning.

 He’s taken my hard-headedness {well…most of it} and broken it up. He’s replaced it with a willingness and desire to compromise. He’s taken my feelings of self-worth and the walls of defense I put up to keep others out, and torn them down. He’s introduced me to new friends and strengthened relationships that I already had. He’s taught me how to forgive and to let go of hurts. He has taught me about FAITH and trusting in him. And through the spirit of the Holidays and Christmas, he has taught me how to have a Servants Heart.

The society we live in is one of materialism and greed. We want more than we have, and when we receive what we want, we spend little time enjoying it before we want something else. We look around at others and compare what we have with them, and it’s a setup for an unhappy and unfulfilling life. This Christmas, I decided to turn away from myself and what I wanted and focus entirely on others…focus on my husband and my son and their happiness.

I graduated from a Small Private High School with about 30 other students. Most of whom grew up in Upper-Middle Class families. I attended school on academic scholarship and grew up in a lower/middle class family [depending on the year]. Turning 16 was a big deal because everyone got a new car and it was always a “treat” for everyone to compare who got what kind of car on their birthday. We all turned 16 in 2002 & 2003. Some of the cars received by classmates included brand new Tahoes, Mustangs, Altimas, Jeeps, 4-Runners and Explorers. Me? I got this:

A 1994 4-Door Chevy Blazer…Tahoe Edition {like that made any difference.} My Grandma paid $2k for it in cash and it was mine. Bug shielder and all. The thing even had a SHELF in it up under the stereo. It rattled when I drove it…lol. It was definitely NOT a brand new car. No speakers or leather interior. Just a shelf. But, in all honesty, when I got it, I was ecstatic. I had my own car. It had a big back seat and a lot of room in the very back. I didn’t have to slow down over speed bumps and it was free.  What changed my mind? The laughter and the cruelness of my classmates when they saw what I had gotten for my birthday.
It was then that I started to develop selfish and materialistic tendencies. I worked way more than I should have so that I could purchase “brand” clothes and shoes. And I remember waking up disappointed on more than one occasion at Christmas. Because my gifts weren’t from Abercrombie, and didn’t include things like Costa Del Mar sunglasses and North Face Jackets. My stuff came from Wal-Mart {a place I shop at RELIGIOUSLY these days. With NO hint of shame. LOL} and K-Mart. I treated my parents with unappreciation and distaste and it’s something that I am not at all proud of.

I’ve grown out of these selfish and materialistic ways. For the most part. And I’m so happy to be past that. God has given me so much more than “things” and “toys.” He’s given me a family full of love and happiness. He’s given me a strong marriage, a healthy and happy son, a home…more than I deserve. And this Christmas I was determined not to let the commericalism of this holiday get to me. I purchased gifts for my hubby and we picked out some things for little man. We didn’t go over board and I’m excited about what we are celebrating this year: That God doesn’t care what kind of car we drive, or what brand of clothes that we wear. He sent his son as a tiny little baby down to Earth to be born in a manger to grow up and save me and you.

And that in itself is the best Christmas Gift anyone could have ever given me.