It’s December 24th and the malls and stores will be filled with those trying to find last minute gifts. But here’s a last minute gift idea that won’t have you heading off hoping to find a parking spot at the mall. Why not give your loved ones the gift of presence?
We want to surprise our family with presents under the tree, but the greatest gift we can give is our presence! True presence is the best present of all. Giving our attention, our time, our focus to the ones we love is a gift of more value than anything in the store. Taking time to pause and breathe and look into our loved ones’ eyes and show that we know them and love them – that’s a gift they’ll cherish all year long. Here are some ideas for sharing the gift of your presence:
-on Christmas Day, invite each one of your family members to a quiet spot and take time to thank them for who they are in your life. Focus more on their qualities that you cherish than on things they do for you.
-around the Christmas Dinner table, place a candle in front of each person. At the beginning of the meal (or at the end), light each candle and have everyone join in offering thanks to that person.
-create your own card for your loved one, with your own personal message expressing thanks for who he/she is in your life. Find a picture or cartoon in a magazine or on-line that would be meaningful to them for the front. Don’t worry about rhyming or poetic images. Just speak from the heart.
-for children, take time with each one to do something with them that they love to do, whether or not it is something you enjoy. Play a board game they love, watch a TV show they love (even if you can’t stand it), go for a hot chocolate together, or play Barbie dolls or Matchbox cars. Make this one on one time with each child, something that is special just to them. This would work for adults too!
-find a piece of music that would have special meaning for the one you love and invite him/her to sit with you and listen to the music, and then tell them why you picked that song for her/him. Or you could share a short story or poem that would have meaning for them.
-create or buy a simple gift in your loved one’s favourite colour – a scarf, mitts, a notebook, candy, etc. and put a note with it – “To (name) who loves (colour), with all my love!”
The greatest gift we can give another person is to show that we know them, really know them, and to let them know that they are significant to us. That’s what each of us long for – to be seen for who we are, to be cherished for who we are, to be known on a deeper level than most of the superficial (but necessary) relationships we have through most of our days. To offer this gift to a loved one is the most precious present of all – something that can’t be bought in a store.
That’s what God offered us in Jesus. God gave of himself (herself) to be present with us. In Jesus, God said, “I know your sorrow and your joys, your triumphs and your tragedies, your dreams and your disappointments.” In Jesus, God said, “I walk with you in life so that you are never left alone. I know you and cherish you for who you are and there is nothing you can do to push me away.”
As we celebrate Christmas, I invite each of us to receive the present of God’s presence – to know we are loved and cherished in the depth of God’s love. And then, I invite us to offer the present of presence to those whom we love – a moment, a gesture, a word that says, “I know you, I love you and I’m so glad that you are a part of my life!”
To each of you, a blessed Christmas in which you discover the gift of God’s presence in your life!
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