Christmas To Me

In spite of the name, “PreachingHelp,” this blog is my personal blog. I decided more than a decade ago to move my writings off the church website to my own personal blog so that I could, if I wanted to, write about some subjects that have nothing to do with spiritual matters. This post is one of those articles.

For me, when I think of Christmas, I think of a “book” of LifeSavers. Every year, for as long as I can remember, my mom and dad would get my sister and me a “LifeSavers book.” It wasn’t really a book, but it opened like a book opens and on the inside was a package of six rolls of LifeSavers.

As children, my sister and I would like to shake our packages and try to guess what we might be getting for Christmas, and while most presents were a total surprise, the weight and shape of identical boxes would always give away the “LifeSavers Book.”  In fact, my parents could have saved the wrapping paper on this annual gift, because there was no hiding what this gift was.

Through the years, this gift became a fun family tradition that would bring a lot of laughs. This carried on even through our adult years. In fact, the most meaningful and emotional gift I ever received at Christmas, and which took me by complete surprise, was the “LifeSavers book” pictured at the left, that I received on Christmas morning three months after my dad passed away. Although I was unable to be with my mom that Christmas morning, she saw to it that I had my “LifeSavers book” to open. I had to leave the room and regain my composure when I opened it.

So you see, the best gifts aren’t necessarily the most expensive gifts. Nor are they even the most “fun” gifts. The best gifts are the gifts that remind you of family, love, joy, and good memories. That’s why for me, Christmas is a “book of LifeSavers.”  What about you? Do you have a story to share? Feel free to share it in the comments.