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On a family radio program some years ago, I heard an eye-opening story told by the mother of three small children. On Christmas Eve she and her husband had taken the little ones to Grandma's, where they were showered with gifts from grandparents, aunts, and uncles. The next morning the kids wanted to play with the toys opened on Christmas Eve instead of unwrapping the gifts under the tree. But the presents had been bought, it was Christmas morning, and the children were going to open those presents whether they wanted to or not. “Smile!” urged Mom as she snapped pictures. But her five-year-old whined, “Mom, do we have to open more presents?” “That,” said the young mother, “is when I realized that we had bought too much.” Jesus said that one's life “does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). The young mother learned about this the hard way. An abundance of material things failed to create a corresponding overflow of family joy. At Christmastime or any other time, the best way to build family connections is to do things together. Decorate the tree together, even if small hands lack the speed, skill, and reach of larger ones. Read books together. Bake cookies together, even if sharing the kitchen makes a bigger mess. Take a ride in the car together and look at the lights. Make hot chocolate for everybody, and then sit and chat as you sip on it. Share at least one meal a day at the family table. Togetherness is a gift that far surpasses any wrapped present. Being together is what makes family life so special. The author of Psalm 128 hints at this as he pronounces a blessing upon the person who reveres the Lord: “You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table” (Ps. 128:2-3). |