A friend has asked me to blog about my family's gift tradition. I once shared it with him and his wife, and as they have recently entered parenthood , he's asked if I would not only share it with him again, but with everyone through my blog.Up front, I have to admit that this tradition is not original with me or my wife. A different friend sent me an email article years ago that talked about this gift tradition, and my wife and I liked it so much we have adopted it for our kids.
The tradition is based upon the 3 gifts the wisemen gave to the Christ child in Matthew chapter 2. This helps guide our decision making into what we give our kids, and it keeps us from getting caught up in the consumerism of the culture. It also helps teach out kids contentment and being thankful for the gifts they do receive, even though it is only 3 gifts for each of them (which means twelve presents this year- maybe we should stop having kids or change our tradition! :o)
The first gift mentioned in the Scriptures was gold. When we think of gold, we think of something precious or expensive. So our kids' "gold" gift is usually something very special, something we wouldn't normally give them everyday, but is something that will be precious to them. We often wrap this gift in gold wrapping paper.
The next gift mentioned is frankincense (or incense, depending upon which translation you consult). Incense is known for its aroma, something that smells sweet to the nose. The Scriptures tells us that our prayers are like incense to God. And so LeAnn and I use the "frankincense" gift to be something that will help our children grow spiritually, so their lives are a sweet aroma to God. Last year we gave the girls devotional books. This year we already have Salem's incense gift when we saw a sale a couple months ago at the local Christian bookstore. We've also given CDs with worship music, and even Bibles to the kids when they reach reading age.
The last gift is myrrh. Myrrh is used for embalming. This was a very practical gift since Christ would one day die on the cross for the forgiveness of sin and would have his body prepared for burial (because they didn't know he was going to resurrect!). So LeAnn and I make the "myrrh" gift a very practical gift for the kids. Often this gift has been clothes the kids have needed, or something else that would be useful for them.
LeAnn and I enjoy the creativity this tradition brings to our Christmas celebration, and it forces us to be very intentional in what we buy for which child. Each kid is honored individually, and yet they are equal with the rest of their siblings. And the best part is that our kids enjoy the tradition and they are very curious each year as to what their 3 gifts will be. This has been a wonderful tradition for our family, and if this helps some others out there with their own Christmas gift purchasing - great!
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