By Anne Mistretta
Last year as I perused a local Christian bookstore for an Advent wreath that had some meaning, I came across this wonderful book--Preparing My Heart for Advent: a Spiritual Pilgrimage for the Christmas Season by Ann Marie Stewart. This book actually starts on November 1 with a daily bible study to prepare our hearts for the actual Christmas season and then December 1 thru Epiphany are daily devotions.
In one part of her book she suggests gift giving ideas--she takes the idea of giving only three gifts and gives them an even deeper meaning based on the gold, frankincense, and myrrh gifts.
“The gold present is something the recipient has always wanted and should be wrapped in gold paper. The frankincense gift should remind the recipient to meet God (a Christian book or CD) and is wrapped in white. The myrrh gift can be bath beads, soaps, lotions, shampoo, shaving cream, or anything that prepares the body and reminds the heart that Christ’s significance extends beyond the manger. Wrap the myrrh gift in dark paper.”
She also presents another option for the three-gift idea: “…give one prized gift, one practical, and one gift of time--such as a pair of tickets to an event to be shared with the giver.”
It might take some more creative thought but that can be the most rewarding when the recipient opens the gift.
She also suggests giving a gift to Jesus each year as we always have gifts for others but rarely focus on what type of gift we could give Jesus. Her suggestion is to “write on slips of paper what would please Jesus: more time with Him in prayer, helping a needy neighbor, loving a difficult person. [Other suggestions--attending Mass regularly, attending church sponsored activities as a family, patience with our loved ones, etc]. Put each slip in a box and wrap it. On Christmas Day, unwrap the gift to Jesus and try to live out these gifts in the coming days and weeks or throughout the year.”
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