Last Minute Gifts

It's now just a week and a half from Christmas. Our thoughts should be on the Christ child, but most of us are thinking of what we can do to cross off all those names of our gift list.

For many of us, money is a big problem. We're thinking of small, token gifts but gifts we hope will be welcome. We don't want either our gifts or ourselves to look cheap. What can we do?

I remember one year I found a packet of six sheets of peel-and-stick stickers on a rack near the greeting cards in a store. There were 9 on each sheet and each sticker had a wonderful Bible verse on it, with nice graphics all around the quote. I bought them for under $3 and I picked up a packet of magnetic sheets. The stickers were all square, so it was easy to cut magnets the same size as the stickers, peel and stick them on. I tucked those magnets into cards and gave those out. My friends really liked them.

Another year, I found a bucket of peel-and-stick alphabet letters and did something similar with magnets.

These days, foam shapes are sold as peel-and-stick, also. There are many ways to use them. They would be great for embellishing bookmarks.

All these items are small and would be insignificant if handed out alone. Tucked into a card that suits the recipient, they become a gift.

It's not the size of the gift, nor the dollar-value of it, that counts. It's the fact that we thought of the person we are giving it to. It's a way of saying that we care about that person and that we want them to know that we care. It's not supposed to overwhelm them. It is supposed to uplift them with a touch of love or friendship.

Father, please fill our hearts this season with the love the shepherds had that first Christmas. They came simply to love and adore your son. Help us to show our friends and loved ones how much we care but simply and modestly.