First, let's see our last Christmas movie clip for this series--and by Christmas movie clip, I mean clips. To get the full impact of this movie, I needed to show you two clips from it instead of just one.
The Nativity Story
I just love that movie. I get choked up as the shepherd reaches out for Jesus every time. Do you know that feeling? To feel so hopeless and lost and then to find out that God sent His Son for you--for each one of us. You can see why the shepherd is in awe of this little babe in front of him. What these people have been waiting for--a Savior--has finally come.
I'll talk more about this at the end of the post, so be sure to keep reading.
Christmas Gift Idea #15: Miscellaneous
Well, it's Christmas Eve and you still need a gift, huh? Fortunately for us, and not so fortunate for the employees that work there, there are several stores that are still open today. They might close early though so you'll want to get out as soon as you can. And as you go, be an encouragement to those who are working today. Smile, be friendly, and wish them a Merry Christmas and a great day! There are too many people out there that aren't as friendly or considerate of the workers at these stores. Brighten their day!
Here are some of the last-minute gift ideas I have for you. You may remember some of these ideas from past blog posts in this series, but these will be gifts I've talked about before that can also be last minute.
- A scarf for a man or woman. Department stores will have these, but so will Walmart and Hallmark if they're open today.
- A gift card. Now a lot of people don't really like this gift idea because it's not as personal. You can make it personal by picking a store or restaurant you know they really love! They'll still be very excited about this gift because it will be to a place they enjoy going, and they will have a reason to go now with your gift card! You can also find fun ways to give them the gift card. You saw my Coffee Cup card and Coffee Mug bundle in one of my earlier posts. You can use that to put the gift card in, or if it's a movie gift card, why not put it in the popcorn bucket bundle I wrote about in my last post? You'll give them an additional gift with the popcorn bucket. You can even include a game with the gift card and make it a date night gift! My sister-in-law did that for us this year and I thought it was a great gift! I'm excited to use it!
- Tin of Cookies. This is what I was doing yesterday. I was baking cookies to go in these cute Christmas tins I found at Walmart. I filled up the tins, wrapped them, and today I will give them to a few of my family members as gifts!
- Bath and Body Works. I pointed out in a previous post that Bath and Body Works has great gift bundles already put together for you! All you have to do is go there, pick out what you want, purchase it, and then take it home and wrap it. Bath and Body Works isn't the only store that does this though. Just about any store you can go to today will have gifts already prebundled and ready to go for you!
- Soda Pop and Candy Bottles. This was also a previous post I wrote about, but it's really easy to do. Go to your grocery store or Walmart and pick up a four-pack or six-pack of soda bottles. You'll also want to pick up some candy, but it needs to be candy that will fit in the soda bottle. Then you'll need to take that home, drink two or three of the bottles depending on how big of a pack you bought (I recommend getting some help with this. You don't need to drink that much soda in one day), wash the bottles out, let them dry, and fill the empty bottles with the candy. Put the bottle of candy back in the pack with the full pop bottles, put a ribbon on it or put it in a gift sack, and then you are ready to go.
These should get you through the holiday! But what will you do next year? Buy your gifts earlier so you aren't stressed out around Christmas! :)
The Greatest Gift of All
Now I would like to share with you the greatest gift you can give this Christmas, and that is the story of Jesus Christ. If you don't know the story of Christ, I'm going to share it here. If you do know the story of Christ, don't be afraid to share it with your friends and family this year. You may think they know the story, but you might be surprised to learn how little they do know of it.
Now the Christmas story didn't start in the manger. It started long before that. It began when sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden.
It should be obvious to all of us today that there is sin in this world. Just look outside or turn on the news. People are being killed, are sick, or are dying. There are wars and famine. People are cruel to others, whether it's through physical violence or verbal abuse. There is definitely evil in this world, and it is a result of sin.
It wasn't always that way. When God created the world and man and put man in the Garden of Eden, the world was good and perfect. There were no wars or famine or disease. God gave man wonderful things in the Garden, and God walked among man. But He also set in the Garden the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and told them not to eat from it. He told them they could eat from any other tree in the Garden except for that one. Many will say, why did God even put that tree in the Garden if they weren't allowed to eat from it and if it was so bad. God gives us choices, and that day in the Garden He gave man a choice. They could choose God and choose to obey Him, or they could choose the tree and choose to live for themselves. That day they chose the tree and ate from it.
When Adam and Eve ate from the tree, sin entered the world. Because of this, we are all sinful people. Not one of us can say we are perfect. We make mistakes and bad choices everyday. And because of sin, we were separated from God. When we die, we would not be with God in Heaven, but we would be sent to hell, where all sinful and evil things must go.
But that is not the end of the story, and evil has not won. God formed a plan to save us. He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, down to earth. This is what we celebrate on Christmas--the greatest gift of all! Jesus lived a perfect life. He never sinned. He taught people about God. God is loving but He is Just. Jesus paid the price we couldn't pay. He payed for our sin by dying on the cross and rising again three days later, conquering death. Now, when we believe in Jesus and all that He did for us and accept that gift, we will be saved. When we die, we will no longer be separated from God. We will join Him in Heaven and praise His holy name for all eternity!
That is the best gift anyone can receive--hope in our Savior Jesus Christ. He didn't just die for me; He died for all who will accept His gift and choose to live for Him.
You don't have to live without hope this Christmas. Accept the hope that Christ brought to us. Choose to live for Him and you will see how much better your life is for it--not regarding material possessions or circumstances necessarily, but your outlook on life, the attitude you have, and the hope you have in knowing that this life isn't all there is.
I hope you will choose to accept Christ this Christmas. And if you know Him, I hope you will share Him with your loved ones this Christmas season. Have a very Merry Christmas!
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