Big Christmas Gift

My friend at work helped me see one of those Christmas traditions I never realized I had. I gave all my work friends a little something and on many of them I wrote something sappy like, "my big Christmas gift this year is working with you!"

So immediately one of my co-workers jokingly complained, "Hey, what do you mean by 'big' Christmas gift? Is that a crack about my weight?!" (no, K.E., it wasn't meant to be a cheap shot!)

Then I realized it is a tradition in my family to talk about the 'big gift.' It's not that we were spoiled or demanding. In fact I think it was my Mom's way of breaking it to us that Santa might only bring one thing that year (even though we were on the nice list.) Mom would approach us with the question, "If you could only get one present this year, what would it be?"

For us, the big gift is the one that if you got nothing else, you would still be excited. So, when I say working with you is my big gift this year, what I mean is that I'm really thankful and excited about it. And content.

I got to hang out with a bunch of friends the other evening who's beliefs are very different than mine. For them, Christmas is only about what Santa brings. But for me, part of the reason I can have peace and contentment in this crazy life, is because for me Christmas is about the birth of Christ, Our Lord. Luke 2 shares it beautifully. He (Jesus) is the ultimate 'big gift.'

Another tradition in my family is that on Christmas Eve we could only open one gift. Somehow it always ended up being pajamas. Yet for several years we were genuinely surprised by this...so guess what my kids are getting on Christmas Eve? (Shhhh, it's a secret!)