“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 6:23

I was in second grade, living in Troy, Ohio when I discovered the truth about Santa Claus. I don’t remember all that many details about my early childhood, but this one involved trauma enough to indelibly etch it in my memory banks.

I had wandered into my dad’s garage workshop a week prior to Christmas. Dad’s shop wasn’t off limits, but wasn’t welcoming either. It seemed like I was sneaking around where I didn’t belong, and it was very uncomfortable looking for the light in the dark, windowless room. When I found the switch and turned it on, I immediately noticed a bedsheet draped over a collection of shopping bags on the workbench.

“Hmmm”, I thought, “I wonder what those are?”

Curiosity got the best of me, and I pulled back the sheet to find an assortment of shopping bags from Rikes, Sears and Roebuck, and McCrory’s Five and Dime. I was stunned to see that some in the collection were presents I’d personally itemized on the Christmas list I sent to the North Pole just a few weeks earlier. Now I wasn’t as naïve as your typical six-year-old (I was seven!) and I realized immediately that I’d been duped.

Santa Claus? Really?

Mom was pretty quick when I interrogated her about the ruse. She said Santa was anticipating an unusually busy delivery season, frenzied such that even with Rudolph he might not complete the route if the bad weather hit as predicted.

So … get this … Santa made arrangements to deliver gifts early to selected households, and 166 Merry Robin Road in Troy was one of the homes to receive this expedited service. Uh huh, good try Mom.

As I recall, December 25 was rather subdued for me that year. Christmas as I’d known it would never be the same. Life is tough.

At that age, I didn’t yet understand the significance of Christmas. What I knew about Baby Jesus was from the carols played on our hi-fi. My folks and grandparents had ceramic nativity sets they set out with the other decorations at Christmas, and I was aware of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, a shepherd or two, lambs, camels, a donkey, a cow, a duck and the three kings who were bringing gifts to the manger.

I figured that gift giving at Christmas started originally with the gold, frankincense and myrrh the two standing and one kneeling kings brought to Jesus. But still the nativity didn’t matter to me like the gifts under the tree did. I’ve matured a little since second grade, and now understand that the true beauty and significance of Christmas is all about the Gift (Jesus) and not the gifts.

Can I tell you why that is?

If you’re aware of the book ‘The 5 Love Languages’ by Gary Chapman, you’ll recall that giving is one of the five ways people express love, along with quality time, acts of service, physical touch, and words of affirmation. In giving, love is communicated by the selfless act of sacrificing one’s resources to give something meaningful to another. So, Christmas gifts are given as a way of saying “I love you”.

Likewise, the true message of Christmas is the Gift given to us in the person of Jesus, God’s Son, who arrived in our world as an infant to become the sinless One sacrificed on a cross. Jesus is the love gift from heaven sent to repair our broken relationship with God. He accepted the blame for our misbehavior and imperfection (aka “sin”), and accepted the death penalty required to rectify it.

This gift of grace was offered from a heart of pure love, gift wrapped in swaddling clothes, and delivered for you to accept and unwrap. Ephesians 2:8 says “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God”.

Please note it says, the “gift” of God. That, my friend, is the message of Christmas.

I’d like to add that Christmas isn’t the “most wonderful time of the year” for everyone. It also is the annual peak for depression and suicide.

For someone who isn’t loved and hasn’t others to love, or is going through a season of grief or suffering, the expectation of the holiday magnifies their feelings of loneliness and loss. Would you consider the plight of others who could benefit from your gift of love to them? It truly is “more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), especially during the holidays. Our personal enjoyment of the season will be enhanced by remembering those less blessed than we are.

Next week we’ll consider whether the Christmas night we sing about was truly a silent one. Here’s wishing you a Merry CHRISTmas!

Dave Hinman is Pastoral Elder at Dove Church, Wilmington. Reach him at [email protected].