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Reflections

The Wrappings of Christmas

Our Reflections this month are focused on the “Wrappings of Christmas”—not the tissue and foil we use for gift wrappings, but the traditions, circumstances and memories surrounding the holiday. We are focusing on the Gifts of Christmas, so we do not lose them in the wrappings of the season.

The Gift Wrapped in Golden Memories

“Ready for Christmas?” How many times have you heard that question so far this month? Every time I hear it, I remember our childhood games of hide-and-seek when we said: “Ready or not, here I come!” And that is how Christmas comes to us.

By now, nostalgia may have set into your preparations. It hits me when I hear “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” or someone starts dreaming of a white Christmas. In reality, I ate chestnuts from an open fire in Vienna and thought they were terrible. I also hope for good traveling weather for Christmas, but I still like the sentimental music.

Most of us have some golden memories of Christmas along with the dark memories we talked about last week. In my dad’s collection of greeting cards from his childhood is a Christmas card from his grandmother, dated 1908 when he was four years old.  

I look at that card and wonder what Christmas was like then, when maybe all a four-year-old got from his grandmother was a greeting card. I’ll never know, but looking at that card brings back golden memories of my dad and grandparents.

From that memory I move to one of my favorites when I was about 8 and did all of my Christmas shopping for 25 cents. In those days, there was no sales tax and it was safe for a little girl to walk the two blocks to “town” by herself.

 “Town” was a one-block long main street which included a wonderful dime store. There I bought my baby brother a toy truck for 10 cents, a candy dish for my mother for a nickel and three handkerchiefs for 10 cents, one each for my dad and two other brothers. Would that Christmas shopping was that easy or that cheap today!

Then there’s the hilarious memory of our Christmas tree parade.  I took my two girls and a friend grocery shopping with me before Christmas. While I was there I decided to buy a fresh Christmas tree while some good-sized ones were still available. At that time, stock boys helped women put groceries in the car, so I pushed the full grocery cart with the three girls behind me. The stock boy carried the Christmas tree.

I had forgotten that we came in the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia—a very small sports car. The boy loaded the groceries first, and tried every possible way to get the tree into the car and leave room for the girls and me. Finally in desperation he sat the tree down and said, “Lady, is this Candid Camera?”

I solved the problem by having the girls carry the Christmas tree the few blocks home while I drove slowly along beside them. They weren’t laughing then, but they do now when we recall the Christmas tree parade. It’s one of our golden memories.

I wish you and I were having Christmas coffee together so we could talk about your golden memories, too. But then we would remind ourselves that these sentimental recollections are not the reality of Christmas. They are only the wrappings of the True Gift who was not only a Son and a Savior, but also a Sovereign.

The Wise Men knew the infant Jesus had been born “King of the Jews.” They recognized His royalty by bringing a gift of gold as they worshiped Him:

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh (Luke 2:11, NIV).

Later John the Revelator, in his vision of Jesus, saw His name inscribed:

On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

As Christmas rapidly approaches, let us not get so involved in the wrapping of our traditions, somber circumstances and golden memories that we forget the wonderful gift—a Son who brings us into the family of God, a Savior who forgives our sins and a Sovereign who will reign forever.

Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15, KJV).

Points to Ponder:

What golden memories do you have of Christmases past? Are you sharing these with your family and friends? What significance do you see in recognizing Jesus as the Sovereign King of Kings? Are you sharing that gift with others?

PEGGY MUSGROVE is a licensed Assemblies of God minister. She is also a speaker, freelance writer, author and prayer group leader. Her latest book, Musings of a Maraschino Cherry was released in 2004.. You can visit her at www.musgroveville.com.

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