The Best Gift

There was only 1 day that the family was all at our home at the same time, so that had to be the day Santa arrived!  He does not come down the chimney at our house.

After our talent show, we had a little break.  Usually the children follow Papa around the house, waiting for him to go to the "bathroom" and try to catch him changing into his Santa suit.  This year Jason snuck downstairs to put on the costume and then came to the front door and rang the doorbell!  He was a little bit skinny for Santa, but...

he helped Papa hand out the stockings and then said his good-byes.

We don't really do Santa in the traditional sense.  He doesn't come Christmas Eve and put gifts under the tree; gifts are put under the tree ahead of time.  He just pops in to say hello and pass out the stockings.  We have always celebrated Christmas as Jesus' birthday.  That's the important part, although for us, Santa is a part of the tradition.

My mother sewed a Santa suit for my dad many years ago in Japan.  I can remember him coming to our one-room school in Miyakonojo one Christmas.  After the play we performed for the parents, "Santa" walked into the school.  My initial thought was "My parents lied!  There IS a Santa Claus!"

Here is a picture of him passing out gifts to us missionary school children.  He is giving me a gift in this picture.  When I looked into his twinkling eyes, I KNEW it was just my Dad!!  This was in 1963, when I was in 3rd grade.  That year, he also put that costume on at our house and told us not to peak through the sliding dining room doors to the living room.  Of course we did and we actually saw Santa kissing Mommy!!

My dad continued to be Santa when they retired at the nursing home.

He dressed up to pass out gifts to the elderly there.

See his eyes?  What sweet, kind eyes!  

He loved to laugh and make us laugh!

And here is Allen who inherited that suit.  This is in 1981 and Josh and his cousin were visited by Santa.  The kids have since purchased Al a new suit as this one made in the '60's was pretty far gone.

* * * 

We passed out all the gifts first, then one by one we opened one gift at a time and went around the room admiring what each person received. 

Claire was so excited for her new pony barn!

Is there any other kind of gift this boy wants?  Nerf guns!

Well, and money from Aunt Mindy and Uncle Jason is pretty cool!

I gave both families a couple of DVD's of the Walton series.  I used to LOVE that show!  Good clean shows with family values.  And a lesson to learn.

A clue for one of the gifts I gave Mindy.

Food + net + work + sub(marine) + script (lettering) + shun (sheep being shunned)

Many of these pictures are from my son, Josh.  Between the two of us we were able to capture what all went on. But I didn't get a good picture of Mindy's gift to Jill.  The one I took was blurry.  So Jill sent me a picture.  Such a cute gift!

sister hugs

A gift I gave the kids this year was a "book" made up of airmail letters I found.  Letters my parents had written from Japan to my dad's parents in Kansas from the 1950's to the 1970's.  What a find it was and such a joy to read these letters of how God was working in them and through them.

A few of the children made us some gifts of art.  Love, love!

God has gifted each of our grandchildren with an artistic bent!

Staci and Emeri surprised all of us girls with sherpas!

Then we sat down to dinner.  I fixed a recipe from Deb Raney, she calls Copacabana Tacos. 

Season a medium-chuck roast with Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and bay leaf in the crockpot overnight, or until beef falls apart with a fork. Remove bay leaf and any fat, and reserve juices. Shred beef and set aside.
Make a gravy of the juices (I bring the juices to a boil and stir in a mixture of 1 cup water and one Tblsp. cornstarch, depending on how much juice is left.) Once the gravy is smooth and thickened, add the shredded beef back in.
To assemble: Spread warm flour tortillas with sour cream, spoon beef mixture in the center, sprinkle liberally with shredded cheese (I use the Mexican blend Kraft makes). Roll up tortilla and line them up in a 9x13 pan enchilada style. Cover tightly so tortillas don’t dry out, and bake just until cheese melts. (Usually 30 minutes is plenty if the beef mixture is warm when you start assembling. You can also make ahead, store covered in refrigerator, and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.)
Serve with tortilla chips and sour cream and salsa (for salsa I use one can of Del Monte Mexican Style Stewed Tomatoes pureed in a food processor—I add about a teaspoon of sugar plus salt and pepper before I puree. Recently, I’ve been adding the salsa to the meat mixture.) Add your favorite Mexican trimmings if you like: lettuce, chopped tomatoes, guacamole, onions, etc.
A medium roast will usually make 10-12 large “tacos” and I squeeze them all into a deep 9x13 pan.

We asked the kids and grandchildren for a list of things they would like to have and of course, we shopped with them in mind.  It was so much fun shopping and finding just the "right" gift - what they would like and enjoy the most!  Although getting and giving gifts is a lot of fun, these gifts will one day end up at a thrift store, or perhaps in a garage sale.  Or eaten, if it was an edible gift.  

The BEST gift of all, that you could EVER receive is the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ!  That is God's gift to you!  That is the whole reason for the Christmas celebration!  He is the Gift that never will expire, go out of style or become worthless.  One day, all our gifts will be gone.  Even our lives will pass away, and all that will be left after this life is the human soul.  That lives forever.  

God is offering you Himself.  But you do have to accept Him in order to receive Him, right....I could give one of my kids a gift and they could choose not to open it or accept it.  Many people choose not to accept Christ, even though God desires to give Him to all people!

And what do I get when I receive Him as my Lord? 

First, eternal life in heaven!  If that sounds boring, you have not a clue what heaven is about!  It is NOT sitting on a cloud strumming a harp!  Randy Alcorn in his book "Heaven" and John Eldredge in "All Things New" will open up the Scriptures to you about that.  I highly encourage you to read these and get excited about eternity!  This world is not our home - THANK goodness!!

What other things does God give when you accept Him?  Right now, you can have these things:

Peace, such peace!

Joy

Comfort

His unconditional LOVE!  

His Presence.  You NEVER need to be alone!  He promises never to leave you nor forsake you.

He calms your fears.

Wisdom - He promises to be your Counselor!  Ask Him if you need wisdom!

If your are discouraged, He will lift you up!

He will be your Provider.  

He gives direction.  He will be your Guide.

If you could ask God for any gift what would you ask for?  God listens to us when we talk to Him.  A friend of mine made me this plaque.

Ask Him for what is best for you.  Our kids didn't get everything on their list.  God knows what we need.  Sometimes He gives us what we ask for; like the kids opening up gifts they put on their list.  Sometimes He surprises us; like Staci did with those sherpas.  Sometimes He gives us something to stretch us - like going through suffering.  Suffering a gift?  Yes!  It really is.  He allows it for our good.  It may not feel good at the time, but He says He can turn it into good for His glory!  

What better gift for you than to receive than the gift God has for you, His Son Jesus!  

 THE BEST GIFT!

'Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift'—2 Cor. 9:15