"Let's go, Mom. Everyone is waiting for us in the car," cried my daughter as she ran out the door for the Christmas Eve program at church. I smiled at her enthusiasm and thought back to days when I was a young girl looking forward to Christmas. My Christmases were filled with relatives, oyster stew, chocolate covered cherries, Christmas programs at church, and opening gifts in knee-deep paper with my family of nine. Yet, my most cherished memories of Christmas were the hours my mother and I spent beforehand wrapping gifts for my family.My mother had an insatiable love for celebrating Christ's birth. She shared God's love through brightly lit decorations, great food, and presents. Yes, my mother loved to give presents, and she chose me to help her wrap them. Together we spent hours making perfect bows and wrapping "just one more box." I considered helping her a great honor because she trusted me not to tell my brothers and sisters what was in their packages.
When I grew older, I realized why my mother and I had so many gifts to wrap each year. Knowing she couldn't give us much, my mother cleverly wrapped each part of a gift into as many boxes as possible. She knew our young minds couldn't comprehend value, but we could count. To a young mind, the more presents you had, the better.
Tonight, I stood in my mother's place. My homeschool family was smaller, but our money to make Christmas special was just as short. As I turned to shut off the light and walk out the door, I smiled as I saw the huge pile of gifts waiting to be opened when we returned. My daughter and I had just finished wrapping them. Some Christmas traditions are just worth passing on.
Lord, thank You for the sacrificial love of mothers. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, give me wisdom to love my family with special acts of kindness. Teach me how to make every day a special gift with the same love that was given to me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
