A long time ago people exchanged gifts on New Years` Day, as a means of saying "Happy New Year". These might be jewelry, pieces of gold and silver, or home-made cookies and candies. Sweet things were given to ensure sweetness for the year to come; lamps were given to wish for light and warmth; and money was given to wish for increasing wealth. The giving of gifts as christmas is an old tradition. The first christmas gifts were given by the wise men to Jesus.
God sent the perfect gift, in the person of Jesus, to save us. The gift of a baby, in itself, is nothing more than a nice story to be read on Christmas Eve. It`s the power of the death and resurrection that the true meaning of the gift becomes clear. (Matthew 20:28) Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. We give gifts to honor God`s most precious gift of hope for mankind.
Christmas teaches us to care about our loved ones, our friends and relatives, our enemies and foes, strangers, poor and downtrodden alike. It binds us in one spirit of hope, love and faith. Giving and receiving gifts is not about money but about the thoughts that you gave in to select the gift. The tradition can be traced back to the birth of Christ. According to the legend, the three wise men or magi from the East brought expensive and precious gifts for the baby Jesus and get his blessings as the newborn king.
There were shepherds and people from all walks of life who brought anything that they could afford as a gift and the child blessed him, not according to the cost of the gift but by the depth of love and devotion behind the gift. Today, people share their happiness and merriment with each other on Christmas as they wrap the gifts with flashy and decorated colored papers and send it to them with the good wishes. The gifts may vary according to the age, choice and status of the person in life but it is the thought that counts. Besides, nothing equals the excitement of opening up the gifts at the midnight hour as people pick up their gifts from the bottom of the tree and eagerly see what is their in store for them.
The gifts: Gold, Frankincense, Myrrh
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| Gold |
for a king |
| Frankincense |
for a god - used in worship
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| Myrrh |
for a man - used in preparing a body for burial |
