Precious is the Gift - Curt & Marybeth Whalen

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” Matthew 2:11

I love the Christmas season. It’s my favorite holiday. Our home is filled with bright lights, special decorations, and wonderful smells. But Christmas can also be filled with anxiety and stress. In our rush to different activities, holiday crowds, and the pressures of spending more than we expected, it’s easy to lose track. If we’re not careful, by December 25th, we’ve lost our Christmas joy.

We work to keep Christmas in perspective. With daily commercials advertising every toy on the planet, it’s easy for our kids to develop a “we want stuff” attitude about the Christmas holidays. It's important to do things to remind them that Christmas is meant to be a demonstration of God’s love. Over the years, we’ve picked children’s names off an Angel Tree or bought gift cards for families who were struggling. This year, our church had a night where families could come and make Christmas shoe boxes for Samaritans Purse. Each one of our kids joined in, filling boxes with toothpaste, socks, washcloths, and school supplies. I prayed with my kids individually before we turned our shoe boxes in, asking God to bless the child that received the box. That was a special reminder that Christmas for many children in this world means getting a toothbrush or bar of soap. I don’t want my kids feeling guilty for what they have, but I do want them to appreciate the many ways our family has been blessed.

Secondly, we use a Christmas budget, paying cash for purchases. We begin discussing our Christmas spending early in the fall, listing how much money we think we’ll have, and who we’ll want to give gifts to. Marybeth finds creative ways to stretch every dollar, buying gifts when they’re on sale. Marybeth makes batches of special treats like pumpkin and eggnog bread for our friends, family members, and church staff. Even with all our planning, things can still get tense when the cash envelop nears empty. But we’ve learned the hard way. It’s much less stressful budgeting and using cash for Christmas than running up credit card debt, knowing thousands of dollars will soon be due.

Mary and Joseph were awed by the gifts of the Magi—gifts not only precious in terms of wealth, but precious in terms of the heart. Christmas is a wonderful time of year. It’s about family and spending and making time together. Make your gifts special and from the heart. Forget about overspending to impress. Keep in mind, it’s the spirit of giving that makes the gift wonderful. It’s possible to preserve your sanity and your joy. Remember what's important and work together as a family to keep your focus on Him.

Marybeth Whalen is a speaker and contributing writer for Proverbs 31 Ministries. The author of “For the Write Reason” and “The Reason We Speak,” Marybeth has also written for Parent Life, Money Matters newsletter, The Old Schoolhouse, Hearts at Home magazine, and Homeschooling Today. She and Curt are the parents of six children (which has taught them much about how to stretch a dollar!) Visit her website at www.marybethwhalen.com.

Curt Whalen is a trained financial counselor through Crown Financial Concepts and helps couples learn to create budgets, solve financial problems, and communicate more effectively about money. He has written articles for TEACH Magazine, Money Matters Newsletter, and has contributed to books by authors Lysa TerKeurst and Melanie Chitwood. Visit their website at www.marybethandcurt.blogspot.com.