IT’S ALL ABOUT GIFTS

Among the things that take up a lot of people’s time, energy and budget around this time
of the year are the various activities associated with gift-giving at Christmas. First, we decide on
the names of would-be recipient of our gifts. Some names, for one reason or another, readily
pop-up in our heads. Most of these names are somewhat a staple in our lists. And then, there are
those which still need some mental deliberation as we consider and reconsider how we feel
towards them. This is usually the part that causes us to take a trip down memory lane as we make
efforts to include all the names of those whom we wanted to thank this year. In the same manner,
we want to be sure of our decision before we strip off names from our lists.

Secondly, we rack our brains to come up with appropriate but economical gifts to give.
This is one of the reasons why a lot of people go to places like Divisoria, Carriedo, Greenhills
and the likes. The prevailing mentality of these people is that, shoppers are most likely to get the
best value for their money when they buy in bulk there. But the malls are not totally ignored.
Wherever there is a sign that says “SALE” or “_ % off” people are most likely to crowd on that
part of the mall. The ATMs in and around the malls are often unable to dispense money on
weekends. This inconvenience often makes people irritable, hence, sucking some joy from the
Christmas Spirit.

After overcoming the challenge of picking out the best gift item that is within the
specified budget, the next task is to package them. This is where creative juices are once again
needed to ensure that the gifts would look pretty and “sosyal”.

Amidst it all, it is so easy to forget why we are doing all these things. By focusing our
energies towards preparing the material things for Christmas day, we become more like Martha
when we ought to be more like Mary. Martha got so engrossed in her preparations that she
simply did not have the time to sit by Jesus’ feet and listen to Him on that special day when He
visited them. And as Jesus’ simple words rebuked Martha when she expressed her exasperation
over her sister who “has chosen what is better”, we should also take heed of His words to calm
our anxious spirits. As the day of our Savior’s birth approaches, may we spend a better portion of
our time seeking His presence and thanking Him for His faithfulness even at the times when we
are not. More than the material gifts, let us strive to let others experience the beauty of the
spiritual gifts --such as compassion, generosity, teaching, encouragement and faith-- that we have
received from God the Father. And let not our expression of those gifts be limited to this season
only. We all need to remember that the significance of Christmas is the Father’s love to all
mankind who gave His Son for all so that we may enjoy an eternal life in His courts.