My family has more Christmas traditions than I can count, but by far one of my most favorite traditions comes around every Christmas Eve. After spending the night watching classic Christmas movies, my sister and I climb into bed together, and Mom reads The Polar Express to us.
Even now, at 24 years old, my Mom reads to me on Christmas Eve.
I've always loved The Polar Express. The story is so sweet, and the illustrations are amazing. My favorite part of the story is smack in the middle; the Polar Express has arrived at the North Pole, and Santa has picked our narrator to receive the first gift of Christmas. And our sweet narrator picks a bell from Santa's sleigh. Santa then holds the bell high in the air, and proclaims, "This is the first gift of Christmas!"
That line has always stuck with me. This is the first gift of Christmas. What does the first gift of Christmas look like in my life? In yours?
The true first gift of Christmas was our savior, Jesus. And I don't ever want my Christmastime to lose sight of that fact. I want the first gift that I give on Christmas to honor the gift God has given us.
Before all the chaos, before the joy of giving and receiving gifts from family, before the laughter and the shouting, I want to quiet my heart and give Jesus just a little more of myself.
For me, it means taking the time to get real honest with myself about where I'm holding onto my life too tightly, and forgetting that those things I'm holding onto aren't mine to begin with. It's ugly, and messy, and a struggle, but I have nothing else to give Jesus besides myself. And He is so worth it.
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