No matter the gift, appreciate it.

I don’t celebrate Christmas.

When I was younger, I used to celebrate it with my family and friends although I’ve never liked it. I’ve never liked the excessive spending, the blinking lights, the festivities, so when I grew up, I simply stopped celebrating it. It just never felt right with me. 

Lately, many parents say that they don’t celebrate Christmas, but they do it for the sake of their children. They enjoy buying presents to see their little happy faces.

Here is where I want to talk about gift giving. There are some people who look forward to Christmas because they look forward to the gifts that they would be receiving instead of giving.

It is better to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

And not only on Christmas Day. We should be giving every day. And speaking of gifts, I recently came across an article in one of our dailies about the best and worst of Christmas gifts one has ever received. A few responses particularly caught my eyes. A fifteen-year-old student said her best gift was a bottle of her favorite perfume (Nicki Minaj) and a Victoria’s Secret gift set given to her by her sister. Her worst gift? A costume jewelry necklace that “looked real, but turned in no time.” I mean, what if the friend didn’t have enough money to get her a really cool and expensive gift? Didn’t she think about this? She should’ve still been appreciative of the fact that her friend thought of her to get her something.

Another one said that his best gift was a new touchscreen phone his then-girlfriend got him and his worst was a black t-shirt. Huh? What’s wrong with a black t-shirt? It may not be a brand name, but it’s still clothing. 

And then there is the woman whose best gift was a pair of filigree gold earrings (some sort of family heirloom). Her worst gift was a pair of shoes from a foreign relative? Why? Because it was the wrong size. I know she was looking forward to wearing it, but what’s the harm in giving it to someone who really needs a pair?

I am not saying that there isn’t something called a bad present, but just as you’re happy for the good presents, still find room in your heart to appreciate the bad ones. Appreciate the fact that you’ve been special enough to be thought of to receive a gift no matter how cheap or useless it might be.