The Best Christmas Gifts Cannot Be Found On Aisle 12

By Senator Bob Margett

Christmas seems to arrive earlier and earlier each year. Before we can say “Trick or Treat” or enjoy a hearty Thanksgiving meal, we are inundated with catalogs, advertisements, and slogans reminding us Christmas is fast approaching and “to shop early before it is too late.” We are made to feel as if we are bad if we don’t give our family, friends, and children the most popular and trendy gifts, even though such gifts may be extravagant, unnecessary, and priced out of our budgets.

Yet, the holiday season is not a time when one should feel bad for not giving the priciest or “coolest” gift. Instead, the true spirit of the holiday season is one of joy and comfort. It is a time to unite under the roofs of friends and family, share memories, enjoy laughter, and give thanks to all the good things in life. It is not a time for excess and materialism.

When I think of Christmas in today’s world, I am reminded of a famous Christmas story. Years ago, O. Henry wrote about a young husband and wife who lived in dire poverty yet who wanted to give one another a special gift for Christmas. But because of their situation, they had nothing to give. Then the husband had a ray of inspiration; he would present his beloved wife a beautiful ornamental comb to adorn her magnificent long hair. The wife also had an idea; she would obtain a lovely chain for her husband’s prized watch.

Christmas day came and the gifts were exchanged. But to the dismay of each other, the couple soon realized the husband no longer had the watch and the wife no longer had her wonderful long hair. You see, the wife had shorn her long hair and sold it to obtain funds to purchase the watch chain and the husband had sold his watch so he might purchase the comb for her long hair.

Christmas comes once a year so we can be reminded the best presents we can give are the ones that won’t break, get lost, or be forgotten in a matter of weeks. We can’t find these gifts in any shop or mall. They cannot be sold or bought for a price and yet they are priceless and rare. Those who possess them are most richly blessed. The true gifts of Christmas are the gift of peace, the gift of love, the gift of service, the gift of self and the gift of faith.

May we all strive to find these gifts within ourselves and in turn share them with others not only during Christmas but throughout the coming year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year