It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Decorations are going up, Christmas music is being played on radio stations, the traffic around the malls has doubled, and many of us are hunkering down for winter weather this weekend. I love celebrating the birthday of my Savior, Jesus Christ.

This past week, I shared a few thoughts with the women at our annual Women’s Christmas Dinner and gave them two questions to ponder over the coming days leading up to Christmas. I want to pass these two questions along to you.

Do you know the One personally whose birth we celebrate at Christmas?

We would not take part in a birthday celebration for someone we didn’t know or have a personal relationship with. Yet we see this happening all around us – people celebrating Christmas, but they don’t know the One whose birth they’re celebrating. They’re decorating, planning family dinners and parties, buying presents, listening to Christmas music, even singing some of the great Christmas carols. They’re celebrating, but they don’t have a relationship with the One whom this season is all about.

Do you have a personal relationship with the One whose birth we celebrate? If not, but you want to, let me know. I’d love to introduce you to Him.

What will you give Jesus as your gift this Christmas?

We give gifts to friends and family at Christmas, and we make our lists of what we want.  (I’ve already received the lists from my grand-nieces and grand-nephew.)

But it’s Jesus’ birthday that we celebrate. Have you ever asked Jesus for His list? What would be #1 on His list that He would want from you this Christmas? What gift would He treasure from you? What would make Him smile and give Him great satisfaction?

A few things He might put on His list are:

• Your time – He longs for time alone with us. We tend to get so busy and distracted in this season that time alone with Him often gets pushed aside.
• That area you’ve been holding onto – Perhaps there’s an area of your life you have tightly clenched in your fist and you’re not ready to give it over to Him. You want control. What a precious gift it would be to Him to have you open your hand and release that area to Him.
• An undivided heart – A complete devotion to Him and a willingness to say, “Yes, Lord. I will do whatever it is you’re asking of me. I’m yours.”

After giving these questions to the women to ponder, I sat down the next morning with the Lord and asked Him, “What gift can I give you this Christmas, Lord? What would be the #1 gift on your list?” And He showed me. I know exactly what He wants, and I want to make Him smile.

Let’s start a new tradition this Christmas. Put a simple white box under the tree to remind us of the greatest gift of all – the gift of Jesus.

Then wrap another box, with a tag on the outside that says, “To Jesus, From me.”  Put a note inside on which you’ve written what you are giving to Jesus for His birthday.

What gift will you give to the One who has given the greatest gift, Himself?