I can’t believe we are already here! Our last blog post in our 2020 Advent series. This week, you’re invited to celebrate with me as I make my last trip to the mall, order the last Amazon package, and wrap and prepare our brown paper packages tied up with string. In this post we are going to talk about the history of giving gifts and how this age old tradition celebrates Jesus at Christmas. So don’t worry, I am not going to turn this blog into a post about presents versus presence. I am actually going to talk about gifts – you know, the presents that we anticipate under the tree on Christmas morning. I want to expose the shame culture that exists in the Church that reminds us throughout the Christmas season that “Christmas is not about gifts”: Let’s face it, we knew that! Maybe you never felt or dealt with this shame around gift giving at Christmas (the Lord bless you if you never had to!), but it is something that I have dealt with and struggled through. Ever since I can remember, giving and receiving gifts on Christmas morning was a huge deal in my family – and in particular for my Dad. His love language is gift giving (my sisters and I sometimes affectionately called him “Father Christmas”). So, even when we were younger and my parents didn’t have much, we would be blown away and blessed by the gifts from them on Christmas morning. And as young girls, we would always be given about $20 to go to the Christmas shop at our elementary school to buy gifts for our whole family. We would wrap them up ourselves and put them under the tree – excited to give each other cheap items that would barely last the day like bouncy balls, hacky sacks and slinkies. Thinking back on these memories right now and all the love in my family is so nostalgic! It was hard to be told throughout the Christmas season that the gifts don’t really matter, when you spent so much time and energy picking out the right gifts for the people you love. As Christians we like to pretend that gift giving is the secular culture’s way to celebrate Christmas. But, it’s time we recognize that it is one hundred percent okay to enjoy giving gifts AND to enjoy receiving them – even on Jesus’ birthday. I agree that the moment that retail companies picked up on the great sale advantage of Christmas in the late 1700’s, things blew out of proportion and the gift culture brought with it negative, consumerism side effects. But, with everything, this included, we need to check our hearts and our motivations for doing something. Gift giving and gift receiving, when done with the right heart, can honor God and be an essential part of celebrating at Christmas!
THE OG SAINT NICHOLAS
The connection between gift giving and Christmas generally leads us right in the direction of Santa Claus. Cue the synonymous ‘GASP’ of all the good Christians. Don’t worry, Christians really do know that Christmas is not about Santa. Yes, every Christian from age one to ninety-nine who spends any time at Church being discipled. Trust me, they know. But, I feel that I couldn’t do this post about gift giving any justice if I didn’t talk about Saint Nicholas. Yes, you know the guy: Kris Kringle, Papa Noel, Sinterklaas, SANTA CLAUS! But, not the legend of Santa Claus, the actual OG Saint (original gangster as the kids say now a days) whose name was Nicholas.
Saint Nicholas was a Christian bishop born in 280 AD in Lycia, Turkey. When he was young, his parents died and he was left as an orphan with their inheritance. Instead of squandering or hoarding his inheritance he used the money to help the poor. He helped many vulnerable people in his day and, because of this, became associated as a protector of children. He was a generous man who used to leave coins in people’s shoes to help them. One of the tales told about him involves three young girls. Bishop Nicholas saved them from prostitution by secretly delivering three bags of gold to their indebted father to use as their dowries. He loved to help people. And, to top it all off, he loved the Lord. He defended his faith during the great persecution of 303 AD. During this time Bibles were burned and priests were forced to renounce their faith. Saint Nicholas, according to records, stood strong in his faith. He died many years later, presumably from natural causes, in the year 343 AD. Saint Nicholas was a generous gift giver, not giving people frivolous toys or the newest video games, but following God’s law to take care of those less fortunate and to give to and love the poor. This is the man behind the legend.
How did this Saint turn into the magical, jolly, bearded figure we hear so much about today? Many years of transformation and exaggerations on this legend – that’s how! It all started when people began to exchange gifts on December 6, the day of his death, to celebrate the generous gift giver himself.
Many years later, in 1822, a poem by Clement Clarke Moore called “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (better known today as “The Night Before Christmas”) was written. Moore wrote it for the imaginations of his six children. In it he described Saint Nicholas as a jolly man who flies around in a sleigh pulled by magical reindeer, who goes down chimneys and leaves presents for deserving children. The poem was then published anonymously the next year and the first vision of Santa Claus was formed. In 1881, the cartoonist, Thomas Nast, drew a picture of Santa wearing a red suit with white fur trim and this is where the legend of Santa Claus began to take off around the world.
GIFT GIVING IN SCRIPTURE
Gift giving has been something that has been around longer than the OG Saint Nick. Not necessarily in the way we do it now with gifts wrapped up tight, garnished with bows and ribbons, and sealed with a Hallmark card. But, there are even passages in scripture that mention gifts being given and received. And, each of the passages that I found about giving and receiving gifts were all connected to celebrations. I’m not saying that this relates to all of the gifts given in Biblical times – it’s just a trend that I noticed! Rack your brain: can you think of a gift exchange that happened in the Bible? The gifts that comes to mind are probably gold, frankincense and myrrh: the gifts the wisemen gave Jesus (See Matthew 2:11). Now these weren’t just gifts to celebrate the birth of the king of the world, but they were also symbolic gifts prophesying who Jesus was and what was going to happen to Him. These gifts were meaningful to Jesus, even though they seemed like non practical items to give a child!
Another gift exchange that happened in Scripture was the bride price. This was the gift required to a woman’s family if a man wanted to marry her. And when I think of someone who paid a high price and gave a big gift, I think of Jacob vying for his wife Rachel’s hand in marriage: “Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as my wife” (Genesis 34:12). Now, the bride price was something that was decided on, but the gift was typically something that the man and his family still had to earn. . . in other words, he didn’t usually have the gift immediately upon request. This is one of the reasons for the betrothal period. The woman would continue to live with her father until her price was paid so she could be with her husband. And, in Jacob’s case, it took many years to work up to his bride price (along with lying, deceit, and another wife in there for him, but you should really give the story a read for yourself)! The bride price was surely a celebratory gift because, once it had been paid, they could then move forward in the marriage contract. It was an exchange leading to a celebration: a gift given in return for a wife.
Gifts were also given by royalty in order to create strong alliances between nations. In 1 Kings 10, this type of exchange happens between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The Queen of Sheba arrived with quite an entrance to meet Solomon. When you read about all of the things she brought, it has similar vibes to Prince Ali’s entrance from Aladdin, hopefully including all of the flash dancing and bright colors! 1 Kings 10 says: “She came to Jerusalem with a very large entourage, with camels bearing spices, gold in great abundance, and precious stones.” She arrive soon after word had gotten out about the wisdom that the Lord had given Solomon and she wanted to see for herself. After talking with him, she recognized the stability of Israel because of his leadership and the asset that their relationship could have for her and so, she bestows these lavish gifts on him. In return, King Solomon “gave the queen of Sheba her every desire – whatever she asked” (verse 13). Their good rapport and the peace between their nations was established and celebrated by the giving of these gifts.
King and Queens, bride prices, and frankincense . . . I recognize that these are not relatable to the gifts, situations, or the types of celebrations that we would commonly have as a reason for gift giving here in Canada . . . (unless you are an essential oils advocate like myself. Then give all the frankincense, please!). The best reason for giving gifts that I found in scripture, and the most relatable, was the giving of gifts to build up and bless relationships with friends and family. Is this not the same reason we give gifts today? Yes, there is often an obligation and expectation on birthdays and holidays, but don’t we give gifts to show people we care about them and that we are thinking about them? In Genesis 45, many years after Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt, they find him, unexpectedly, working in a high position for Pharaoh. Instead of being angry and punishing them for their horrible, inhumane act many years previously, Joseph blesses his brothers and celebrates their reunion by giving them gifts. In 1 Samuel 30, David wins a battle against the Amalekites. To celebrate his victory and show his friends that the part they played in the battle mattered, he gave them gifts.
“When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.”
1 Samuel 30:26
Do you remember Job? Yes, the guy who had a day worse than Alexander (and Alexander had a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day!). In one single day Job lost almost everything he had – from his wealth all the way to all of his children. There is an entire book of the Bible written about his experience through this hardship – and how he leaned on God. At the end of it all, in Job 42, God restores his fortunes and actually doubly blessed him. To celebrate the end of his misfortunes and his blessings from God, his friends and family join him for a feast where they bring him gifts to celebrate with him (verse 11).
The purpose of gift giving mentioned in the stories above was to celebrate something together. And, if you’re still here reading these blogs and celebrating Christmas with me after all these weeks, you’ll remember that togetherness and community are one of the key pieces to celebration.
HOW GIFT GIVING CELEBRATES JESUS
Going back to the basics and focusing on community is exactly how our gift giving can celebrate Jesus. The law and the commandments all boil down to two most important, most valuable laws: first, love God and second, love others (Matthew 22:36-40). And, coincidentally, when we love others well and put them before ourselves we are also showing love to God! So, when we take time thinking up creative gifts to get for our friends and family members, when we write them cards of encouragement or drop off holiday baking trays to share – we are loving them and this is pleasing to Jesus. In fact, us going out of our way to love people is one of the gifts that God would probably like to receive on His birthday because it honors and pleases Him.
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love . . . God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them . . . We love because He first loved us.”
1 John 4:7-8, 16 & 19
YOUR TURN! CELEBRATING BY GIVING GIFTS
I always remind us to do a ‘heart check’. Obviously we can be greedy – giving only to receive – or even be unwise and spend outside of our means. If this is the case, then gift giving is not done out of love or with the right intentions – but only you can judge this for yourself! Ask Jesus to give you a heart motivated towards love in your gift giving this Christmas season. And then, spend the extra time to make gift giving special for those that you love.
Here are a few things that I do at Christmas to intentionally love and celebrate through gift giving:
- I write cards and attach them to the gifts. Words are so powerful and I love to be intentional in the words I write to purposefully love on and encourage those to whom it’s addressed. A gift shows someone they are loved, but a card to go with it can share with them WHY you love and appreciate them.
- I wrap the gifts with intention and care. As you can see with the picture above, I spent a lot of time curating how I wanted the gifts I was giving to look. Since the gifts sit under the tree for a few days before they are opened (or longer if you’re one of the few early shoppers out there!) it is fun to make them look beautiful and increase that love and anticipation for a few extra days. This year I added handmade clay tags with their names on them, twine, and some fresh greenery! I am hoping my friends and family will feel loved before they even know what they’ve been given as they are able to see how much effort was put into even the wrapping!
- I have a “Christmas Shopping List” note on my phone that I am always adding to! All year round, if I am spending time with a loved one and I hear them mention an interest or an item that they like or wish they had, I secretly open up my phone and write these ideas under their name. That way, when Christmas rolls around the gifts that they are getting are intentionally suited to them – and they know that I was listening. My family usually sends out lists to each other of things that we wish for – but I still think that there is great care and detail that can be put into choosing the RIGHT one of the item they sent (eg. know my sister would like a certain color, etc.). And, sometimes you get it wrong. That’s okay! I have had zero luck with Byron’s gifts over the last two years (I won’t waste your time with the dramatic details of how it hasn’t worked out!), but I like to think he still feels loved and that I was thoughtful with his gifts. Keep me in your prayers for this year – I am feelin’ good about round four! HA!
My family has always had a simple, yet meaningful Christmas morning routine. It goes something like this . . . I am always the first one awake. Then I usually find some annoying way to wake my little sisters up (for example: jumping on their beds and kissing them yelling Merry Christmas, throwing my singing Christmas slipper like a torpedo into their beds, etc. And yes, this still happens just like this now that we are adults). Once everyone is awake and downstairs my Dad makes coffee and we all add a splash of Baileys. Then, we all gather around the Christmas tree, snuggled in our pajamas, and my mom lights “the Jesus candle”. This is the candle that stays lit in our living room for the whole day, reminding us while we open presents, eat snacks, play games, and spend time together, that Jesus is here with us and that we are gathered for His birthday. After the candle is lit, someone shares a Christmas devotional and scripture reading. Then, we go around the room and each take turns praying and thanking God for our family and for the best gift of all, Jesus. Then, it’s time to open gifts. We are usually so excited to give our gifts and it is always extra special to watch as people open the gifts that you have spent weeks waiting to give. After we are all done, we clean up the room, place our gifts in our designated piles, and go around the room giving hugs and thanking one another for what has been given and making sure to say: “I love you”. Loving one another through gift giving is a great way to celebrate Christmas by reminding us of the best gift of all given in love from our Heavenly Father – the gift of His Son Jesus.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
James 1:17
“For God so loved the world that HE GAVE His One and Only Son . . .”
John 3:16 (emphasis added)
CHRISTMAS MORNING BRUNCH RECIPE
My family is an “open presents first, eat after” kind of family. So, by the time we get to eating breakfast on Christmas Day, it is basically brunch! My friend Steph has, yet again, provided us with a GREAT recipe. She has made this gluten free biscuit topped with eggs benedict for me on many occasions and it’s delicious! We hope that you can enjoy this recipe before (or after) celebrating Jesus’ birthday by exchanging presents.
Hollandaise Sauce
INGREDIENTS
- 3 egg yolks
- ½ TBSP lemon juice
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Fill small saucepan just over ½ full with water. Bring to a bowl, reduce heat (low-medium) to slow, soft simmer.
- Separate egg yolks from the whites of 3 eggs.
- Whisk egg yolks and lemon juice together in a small stainless steel bowl. The mixture will thicken, double in volume and look creamy after 1-2 minutes of vigorous whisking.
- Place steel bowl over the saucepan of boiling water. The bowl should not touch the water. Continue to whisk quickly. Don’t let the eggs get too hot or they will become scrambled eggs. As you whisk remove bowl from pot every so often. After 1 minute or so of heat and whisking slowly add melted butter and continue to whisk.
- As you slowly add the melted butter, continue to whisk and remove bowl from heat every so often the sauce will thicken and again double in volume. One sauce is thick remove from heat and whisk in salt and pepper.
- Set sauce aside and cover until ready to serve. If the sauce becomes too thick or needs to be warmed up use a few drops of warm water. Do not microwave or eggs will cook.
Drop Biscuits
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups gluten free flour (I use cup-4-cup which does have xanthan gum which helps everything stick together)
- 1 TBSP baking power (gluten free)
- ½ TSP salt
- ½ cup melted butter – cooled
- 1 cup canned coconut milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat over to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix together flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add in melted butter and milk. Stir just until everything is moist.
- Using a spoon or your hands drop clumps of dough onto the parchment paper. Will make 8-10 biscuits.
- Cook for 11-13 minutes, depending on size. Tops should turn golden brown.
Written by: Justine Joy
Refined Joy 