CHRISTMAS
SHOPPING
Written by Luz Leigh – 19 December 2007
With the
Christmas season upon us, let us not forget
the true reason we celebrate this wonderful
time of the year. In Isaiah 9:6 the prophet
foretold the coming of our Savior when he
penned these words: “For to us a child is
born, to us a son is given, and the government
will be on his shoulders. And he will be
called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” NIV
We look to
the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, where we find
the familiar words regarding Jesus’
birth. “While they (Mary and Joseph)
were there, the time came for the baby to be
born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a
son. She wrapped him I cloths and placed him
in a manger, because there was no room for
them in the inn.” NIV Do we have room for Him
in our hearts and lives? Or, are we so busy
with everyday activities that we have no room
for Him?
We prepare
Christmas greeting cards to be mailed to our
friends and family, but many times it is a
chore instead of a loving expression of our
feelings for those to whom we send the
cards. We join other shoppers who crowd the
stores and malls, searching for gifts for
those we feel obligated to buy for. The gift
buying, too, has become a chore. It is
something that HAS to be done, not something
we are excited about doing.
My family is
small so I should not be pressured about gift
buying. But, guess what? I am a procrastinator
and here it is six days before Christmas and I
still have not completed my shopping. Each
year I make a vow to myself that I will not
wait until the last minute to shop; each year
finds me fighting the crowds, which I detest,
looking for just the right gift for each of my
children and grandchildren.
Today when I
leave my home to face the maddening rush, I
will go forth as a soldier into
battle. Except, this year will be different. I
have pledged to be kind and understanding of
those around me. Many are facing difficulties
that I can only imagine. There will be the
single parent, trying to stretch what little
funds he or she has to provide for their
little ones. I will see an elderly couple who,
like me, are wishing they had done this
shopping last month, but they want to purchase
a little something for their grandchildren,
possibly great-grandchildren. The husband who
has waited until the last minute because his
paycheck has just arrived and he can now try
to find the gift that he knows his wife is
expecting of him. There will be those shopping
who, because of their physical conditions,
know within their hearts this will be their
last time to shop for Christmas gifts. Their
next Christmas will be a glorious one….they
will celebrate Jesus’ birthday in His
presence. They are the fortunate ones.
So, if all
your gifts are purchased, wrapped and
delivered, or sitting under your tree, I say
more power to you. If you are like me, still
working on getting there, take a deep breath,
say a prayer of thanksgiving that we have this
wonderful baby whose birthday we celebrate,
ask our Father for strength to get through the
day, and go forth into battle.
Oh, by the
way, I don’t have a handicap tag to drape from
my rearview mirror allowing me to park close
to the doors of the stores, so please don’t
get my blood pressure up when I see you reach
into your bag, pull out your mother-in-law’s
handicap tag, slap it on the dash, hop out of
your SUV and rush into the store while I make
my way from parking space number twenty-five,
hopping my arthritic knee does not pain me too
much. Oh, I wouldn’t mind if you were bringing
your mother-in-law to do her shopping, but you
just dropped her off at the hair salon where
she is getting a “hair-do” and nail job.
Seriously,
have a fun day at the mall. Surprise the heck
out of folks by smiling, being courteous, and
saying MERRY CHRISTMAS.
