The perfect gift

The Christmas songs are interrupted by commercials claiming to have the gift for the person who has everything. Promises of the perfect gift coo out of my van speakers, slick marketing at its best, bringing out the worst of our commercialized holiday season.

We live within a cycle of buy more, do more and please more. Marketers already know that we have all we need, they even admit it when they suggest gifts for the person who has everything.
But what more do we need? What more do I need?

I've been thinking about the Christmas's I experienced growing up. It's counter-culture, but my memories aren't centred on the gifts I received. Rather, I remember the smells of fresh baking, incense wafting through the aisles at Church; the sounds of boots crunching through the snow, ice rattling around in my glass of pop; the taste of tea (which I drank to stay awake during the midnight service) and the mint chapstick that was faithfully tucked into my stocking every Christmas morning. Old videos captured from my childhood show a modest tree with lots of family gathered around. Watching the videos as an adult, I still feel the magic.

And maybe that's what everyone is still looking for. The magic. The love. The innocence.

None of which can be bought, wrapped and topped with a bow.

But here's the secret: you and I already have the magic. We were born with it, we carry it day by day, and we will leave this world with it. The magic is simply this: we were created with love, to love. And this love enables us to see the joy in the ordinary. God brought joy to the world through the birth of a baby boy in a dark corner of a cold stable, keeping company with lowly servants and animals.

What an amazing point God made. By sending His only son into this world through the most meagre means possible, God was sending a clear message about the true source of love and joy. Penthouse suite or filthy stable - the surroundings are meaningless because God has already provided us with all we need:

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin shall be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel, which means "God with us". (Matthew 1:22-23)

And there lies the truth: "God with us". Always and everywhere. What gift could be more perfect?