Discover Christmas Day Thirteen

 Why do We give gifts at Christmas? 

The act of giving gifts is symbolic of the gift of God to us on that first Christmas Eve. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Because of God's love, we have the gift of Jesus Christ, and it is the example of Jesus that teaches us about true love. "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."(1 John 3:16)
It was the Wise Men, who first followed God's example of gift giving when they visited Mary and Jesus and gave gold, frankincense, and myrrh to honor baby Jesus.
Why did they choose those gifts? Gold represented royalty, and symbolizes Jesus as the King of Kings. Frankincense was an expensive spice used in worship that symbolizes the divine power of Jesus. Myrrh was a spice used in burial, and represents the death of Jesus, who would rise again on the third day!
When we give gifts to those we love at Christmastime, we are following God's example of love!

We made our own wrapping paper. Then we went shopping for gifts for each other. We ended our day listening to our friends sing carols at a charity event for children's cancer in Bangor.