There’s so much pressure around the holidays, not only to give to family, friends, church, and charities, but to give the perfect gift. Some people are ingenious gift-buyers, able to remember that Jerry mentioned he didn’t have such-and-such in July, able to guess exactly what Leticia will adore that’s on sale in November. Then there are those of us who go out mid-December hoping to buy for folks who don’t really need anything — something not so terrible, something worth at least as much as what they’re probably buying us, something that won’t be re-gifted later.

Don’t get me wrong — I’m not against material gifts, but they can quickly wear thin if that’s all they are. I don’t know about you, but this time of year, I’m constantly battling to make sure my focus is on the Christ Child, not the shopping and buying, buying, buying of stuff. Stuff that advertisers insist that we need to fill the empty spaces in our closets, in our lives.

But wait. Think for a moment about the three best gifts you ever received. Don’t read on just yet. Just remember for a minute.

Did you, like me, realize that some of your best gifts weren’t material? Not gifts you could really buy, but gifts that brought intense meaning and richness to your life and relationships?

In Galatians 5:22-23, we find a list of the nine fruit of the Spirit given to believers. What if this Christmas (and at other times) we intentionally nurtured these fruit, these gifts, in ourselves and found ways to share them with others? And if we gave them freely, with the knowledge they may not be returned or appreciated in a way that we can see, what would that “no strings” approach create in our hearts? Would we feel more free and less burdened? This Christmas, I'm going to try giving "spiritual gifts." Want to join me?

Here are some gift ideas you can use:

	Love

As a girl, I participated in a Cursillo retreat. At the end of our exploration of Christian vocation, we received a surprise of palanca. The Spanish word was used to describe a bundle of encouraging letters from loved ones back home and Christians we didn’t even know. It was an outward, visible sign that we were loved and held in prayer by a larger community.

Write a letter on paper to a loved one, saying how he or she brings Christ into your life, the unique things about him or her that you admire, your funniest or fondest memory,
how your relationship with this person got you through a difficult time, and what kinds of things you pray for him or her. Put it in an envelope and mail it. Write a similar letter
to yourself. Seal it in an envelope and put it away for a rainy or difficult day.


 

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