Thanksgiving break. Today is the first day of a week off for the kids and, therefore, me. Sean’s new schedule is every Monday off. I’m insisting on a family day
We were going to go to the Statue of Liberty but my daughter has basketball practice until noon and we can’t make it in time for the last tickets. So, Sean and I put our heads together and came up with Family Christmas Shopping. Instead of me doing it online and signing everyone’s name, we’re all going to participate. Driving a distance to an outlet mall, where hopefully we will find something special for everyone on our list.
I put our chances of arriving home a happy family a little under 50 percent, but figure the odds at the Statue of Liberty weren’t much better. When we broke the news, the responses were “Can we buy stuff for ourselves?” and “Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory!”
Day Two: All I was going to write about went out the window. What I came up with just kind of fell out of the rafters at IKEA. I saw this on a Christmas card there and it moved me to a different kind of advent posting.
“Hope is a gift for all people.”
These are my thoughts that followed.
Christ is our gift of hope. I believe He is God’s gift to all people because I believe every person on this earth is touched by Christ in some way. Sometimes, I get so caught up in trying to reassure myself that the orphaned child in Africa is touched by Christ and in making sure that I am truly thankful for all the luxuries in my life, that I forget about the simple, greatest gift.
God’s greatest gift to us is not our big homes, full plates or even adoring families. Christ is the greatest gift. This Christmas remember to unwrap Him, use Him, enjoy Him and give thanks for Him.
postscript: Krista said the shopping went great. Her recent-to-teenagehood daughter (and not much of a shopper) kept saying she couldn't believe how much fun she was having. Krista also said, "If you want to try family shopping yourself, the secret is make sure the trip is a replacement activity for something nobody wants to do... make sure your kids are old enough to wander around the store themselves or sit outside if they don’t want to go in... and most importantly, give everyone $10 for candy. EASY!"
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