10 Days to Christmas. Tuesday, Dec 15, 2020

“The Best, Last-Second Gift”

When we were kids playing sports, we sometimes pretended that we were in the championship game. As if we were broadcast sports reporters, we’d say something like, “The score is tied and both teams are out of time-outs. There are ten seconds left on the clock and it’s down to this last-second play…” Insert your own name and conclusion, but many of us have imagined it (or something similar) as we won the game in the final seconds.

With ten days left until Christmas, we are close enough to the end to begin the final countdown that leads to that all-important moment of success and victory in gift-giving. Some of us have already exceeded our budget while others of us are trying to find a way to squeeze out a few more dollars to deliver the very, best gifts for our loved ones.

During this bizarre Holiday Season, when everything is abnormal, this is the perfect time to consider something that only you can give to someone else: A hand-written card from you. Now, don’t run away. A hand-written card is not a store-bought card that says a bunch of stuff, then concludes with your handwriting saying something like, “Merry Christmas”. Rather, a hand-written card is either homemade or store-bought and it includes an extensive note from you to the other person that describes your specific, unique feelings for the other person.

When we write to someone else in our own handwriting, it displays many things, including thought, character, feelings, and most of all, our appreciation for the other person. If you are not a writer or have not expressed your feelings, your card will be extra-special because the other person will already know that about you. As a result, your gift will be even more important to them. Afraid that they already get too many of these? Wrong! It’s likely that your handwritten card will be the only one they receive this Holiday Season.

The clock is running but “snail-mail’ is still delivering on time for Christmas. Consider making a card or picking one up that allows for plenty of your own handwriting. Tell someone why they are special to you and why they are important to you and the world. Your gift may not glisten, play, or start, but your gift could be the one that makes all the difference for the people you love. It’s a guaranteed, last-second, Win-Win.

“I thank my God every time I remember you.” (Philippians 1:3)